BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Senior Shanice Vaughan and junior Shanovia Dove were both named to the All-Northeast Conference Third Team, it was announced by the league Friday. It is the first career all-conference honors for both Dove and Vaughan.
Despite missing four conference games due to injury, junior Shanovia Dove finished the 2015-16 year as one of the top scorers in the league. Dove finished the regular season averaging 14.5 points per game, ranking her first for the Blackbirds and eighth in the conference. She was also ranked in the NEC in 3-point field goals made (6th - 2.04 per game), free throw percentage (10th - .789), steals (12th - 1.56 steals per game), and rebounding (20th - 5.3 rpg).
Dove finished with four games scoring 20+ points against NEC opponents, including 24 points at Saint Francis U., along with 12 rebounds, for her first collegiate double-double She also had a double-double in LIU's most recent win, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds en route to LIU's win over Wagner.
Senior Shanice Vaughan helped lead LIU to late-season wins that clinched the Blackbirds' playoff berth. She finished the regular season ranked 12th in the NEC and second on the team, averaging 12.0 points per game. She was one of the top defensive players in the conference, ranking third in steals, and leading LIU as she averaged 2.28 steals per game. She was also eighth in the league in assists per game (3.41), and ninth in field goal percentage, shooting .426 percent from the floor.
Vaughan's scoring average went up in NEC play, as she scored 13.1 points per game in the league. She scored 20+ points four times against NEC teams, including a career-high 29 points and 10 rebounds at Wagner earlier this season. She was also named the Battle of Brooklyn MVP in February, after leading LIU to their first win against the Terriers in four seasons. In an overtime thriller, Vaughan had 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists to lead LIU to the victory.
Dove, Vaughan and the rest of their Blackbirds teammates finished the regular season 9-20 overall, and 7-11 in Northeast Conference play, and are the No.7 seed in the upcoming NEC Tournament. LIU will take on No.2 seed Bryant in the quarterfinal round in Smithfield, R.I., Sunday, March 6 at 1 p.m. The game will be viewable online on NEC Front Row.