LORETTO, Pa. – The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team is hitting the road this weekend to take on the Pennsylvania contingent of the Northeast Conference. The Blackbirds (2-11, 1-1 NEC) open the two-game road swing with a 1 p.m. game at Saint Francis U., this Saturday, January 7.
QUICK HITS
- After opening conference season with a win over Mount St. Mary's, the Blackbirds fell at home to Bryant, 62-53. The game was closer than the score indicated, as LIU had closed the lead to just one point early in the match, before a late run by the Bulldogs clinched the win.
- LIU's Aja Boyd converted the traditional three-point play with 50 seconds left to make it 55-51. But the Bulldogs went 7-for-7 from the charity stripe in the final 49 seconds of play, while LIU missed three shot attempts to cut into the lead, falling to Bryant, 62-53.
- Senior Shanovia Dove led the Blackbirds with a double-double, scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while freshman Aja Boyd added 11 points.
- Saint Francis U., who was picked to finish third in the NEC preseason poll, is playing in DeGol Arena for the first time since the end of November. The Red Flash are 4-9 overall, and 1-1 in the NEC thus far. They opened NEC action with an 82-79 win over Fairleigh Dickinson, before falling to Sacred Heart, 73-63 on New Year's Eve.
- The Red Flash are one of the top offensive teams in the conference so far this season. They lead the NEC in scoring, averaging 79.0 points per game, and also lead the league in field goal percentage, shooting 41 percent from the field as a squad. They are also tops in the conference as a team in blocked shots per game (6.85), assists per game (15.23), steals per game (9.85) and three-point field goals made per game (11.38).
- SFU's potent offense is led by three players averaging in double figures, all three of whom rank in the top ten in the NEC in scoring. The Red Flash are led by pre-season All-NEC pick Jessica Kovatch. The sophomore guard is putting up 21.0 points per game, including an average of 3.62 three pointers made per contest, both top averages in the conference. An 81 percent free throw shooter, she also ranks second in the NEC in steals per game, with 2.31 per contest.
- Graduate student Ace Harrison, who transferred from Maryland, and has made an immediate impact for SFU. The forward is the only player in the NEC averaging a double-double, with 13.9 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per game. She also leads the NEC with 2.73 steals per game, and has 12 blocks this season. An efficient shooter who ranks second in the league in field goal percentage (.538), she knows when to pass, and is also sixth in the NEC in assists per game, dishing out 3.0 per contest.
- Senior guard Katie Reese is the third main offensive threat, averaging 12.9 points per game, and is third in the NEC with 3.7 assists per game.
- SFU also has the league's top two blockers: 6-4 sophomore forward/center Courtney Zezza has 34 total blocks this season, for a 2.62 blocks per game average, while 6-3 junior forward/center Cydney Smith has 22 blocks this season, or 1.83 per contest.
- Last year, Saint Francis U won both matchups, beating LIU, 84-75 in Brooklyn, and 72-64 in DeGol Arena.
- Up next, the Blackbirds head west to Moon Township, Pa., where they will take on perennial NEC powerhouse Robert Morris, Monday, January 9 at 7 p.m.