BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team led St. Francis Brooklyn with one minute to play Saturday afternoon in the Steinberg Wellness Center, but the Terriers would hit a three-point shot with nine seconds to play to steal the win from the Blackbirds, 56-54. With the shot, St. Francis took home the 24^th annual Battle of Brooklyn title, and improved to 3-2 in the Northeast Conference, while LIU moved to 2-14 overall and 1-4 in the NEC. Senior Shanovia Dove led all players with 20 points in the loss, while senior Brianna Farris had 12 points and freshman Aja Boyd had 10 points, eight rebounds and three steals.

St. Francis came in early and had the upper hand early in the game, taking a 13-4 lead in the first quarter before the Blackbirds were able to find their groove. Sophomore Drew Winter hit a jump shot with three minutes left in the first quarter that would start LIU's scoring drive.

Senior Brianna Farris made her first three of the game with just over a minute left to play in the quarter, and her shot sparked a 16-0 run by the Blackbirds that would continue into the second quarter. Farris and senior Shanovia Dove would combine for 14 of the 16 points as LIU went 6-for-9 from the field and took a 22-16 lead. With just under four minutes left in the half, St. Francis called a timeout to try and stymie LIU's momentum, and the move worked. Over the next two and a half minutes, the Terriers would go on an 8-0 run that put them back on top, 24-22 with 1:30 left in the half.

But the Blackbirds weren't done yet. Dove would drain two free throws and Winter hit another jumper with 40 seconds left that would help LIU tie it up at the break, 26-26.

Coming out the half, SFBK would open with a 5-0 run to take the lead, 31-26, but LIU would answer with a run of its own. Frehsman Autumn Ashe hit a jumper that would lead the Blackbirds on an 11-0 run that lasted two and a half minutes, and put the home team up, 37-31 with 4:29 to play in the third quarter. Farris would hit a three pointer that gave LIU its widest lead of the day, 42-35, and the Blackbirds took the lead into the fourth and final quarter.

The Terriers would open the fourth quarter on another run, retaking the lead, 45-44. SFBK's Kat Phipps drove scoring in the quarter, as seven of her 11 points off the bench came in the stanza, and she was named the game's MVP for her efforts.

Freshman Victoria Powell would get the Blackbirds back on top with 5:54 to play, making a crucial layup for LIU. Boyd followed it with a jumper in the paint that would widen the lead to three points, but SFBK would score the next two baskets to take a 49-48 lead at 3:57. Winter would make a layup and Boyd drained two free throws to put the Blackbirds up once more, 52-49 with 2:53 to play. But the Terriers wouldn't go quietly. A layup with just over a minute to play gave the visitors the lead, 53-52. Winter hit a big jump shot to give the Blackbirds the lead, 54-53 with 1:02 to play, and LIU was tasked with defense in the final 60 seconds.

St. Francis would miss three attempts to tie it up, including a layup that was blocked by Ashe with 20 seconds on the clock. But on the third miss, the Terriers got an offensive rebound, and kicked it out to Rachel Iozzia on the wing. The senior guard would hit the three with nine seconds left to play, and the visiting team led, 56-54.

LIU had a chance to win the game on late three-point foul, but the Blackbirds, who shot 50 percent from the free throw line in the loss, couldn't convert the opportunity. And a last-second put-back jumper was ruled to come after the buzzer had sounded, giving SFBK the Battle of Brooklyn win, 56-54.

NOTES FROM THE NEST

• Shanovia Dove led all player with 20 points, including a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. The senior also had five rebounds and three assists for LIU.
• Brianna Farris had 12 points, all three-pointers. The senior shot 4-for-6 from long range, and had two steals.
• Freshman Aja Boyd had 10 points and eight rebounds, along with three steals. Drew Winter led LIU with five assists and had eight points.
• Up next, the Blackbirds host Central Connecticut State on MLK Day, Monday, January 16 at 2 p.m.