SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team will travel to Smithfield, R.I. this weekend to take part in the first round of the Northeast Conference Tournament. The No.7-seeded Blackbirds (9-20, 7-11 NEC) will take on the No.2-seeded Bryant Bulldogs (17-12, 14-4 NEC), Sunday, March 6 at 1 p.m. in the Chace Athletic Center.
LAST TIME OUT• The Blackbirds ended the regular season with a big win Monday night in the Steinberg Wellness Center, beating cross-borough rival Wagner, 71-66.
• Junior
Shanovia Dove had 20 points and 10 rebounds, for her second collegiate double double. Senior
Shanice Vaughan had 12 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals,
Brianna Farris had 11 points, six rebounds and three assists.
• 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.
ALL-TIME SERIES• Bryant leads the all time series between the two teams, 9-3, having won the last seven straight. LIU hasn't beaten the Bulldogs since 2012.
• Bryant won both regular season matchups between the two teams. On the road, LIU fell to Bryant in the Chace Athletic Center, 63-55.
• The Blackbirds were led by senior
Shanice Vaughan's 21 points, including eight in the final three minutes of the game.
• Senior
Jolanna Ford added 10 points and nine rebounds, while junior
Shanovia Dove had 10 points and four rebounds. Breanna Rucker led Bryant with 25 points and 12 rebounds.
• Just last week, the Bulldogs beat the Blackbirds in Brooklyn 62-53.
• Dove led all scorers with 23 points, along with five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sophomore
DeAngelique Waithe had 13 points, eight rebounds and three steals, while Ford had 12 rebounds and six points.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS• Bryant enters the NEC tournament as the No.2 seed, finishing the regular season with a 17-12 overall record, and 14-4 in NEC play.
• Most recently, Bryant is coming off wins over LIU and Fairleigh Dickinson.
• The Bulldogs are led by senior forward Brianna Rucker, who is the only player in the conference to average a double-double. Rucker is the team's leading scorer, putting up 15.5 points per game, and she's also the team's leading rebounder, with an 11.1 rebounds per game average.
• Bryant has two other players averaging in double-digits: senior guard Tiersa Winder is averaging 13.0 points per game, while sophomore guard Ivory Bailey adds 11.2 points per game