BROOKLYN, N.Y. --- Led by the trio of senior DeAngelique Waithe, freshman Jeydah Johnson and graduate transfer Denisha Petty-Evans, the LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team snapped a two-game skid with a 74-69 victory over the Wagner College Seahawks Saturday afternoon at the Steinberg Wellness Center.
LIU (6-9, 2-2 NEC) led by as many as 24 points in the second half and held off a furious fourth quarter rally by Wagner (3-13, 1-4 NEC) to move to 2-0 at home in league play.
Waithe registered her fourth straight double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, Petty-Evans scored 22 points for her third 20-point outing of the year, and Johnson added 17 points while hitting on half of the Blackbirds' three-pointers (4-for-5).
After a first quarter that saw the Seahawks take their largest lead of the game (11-7) halfway through the period, the Blackbirds seized control of the contest. LIU scored seven straight points to take a 14-11 lead with 2:57 left in the quarter and used a four-minute, 13-0 run spanning into the second quarter to go ahead 31-18.
LIU pushed their advantage to 20 points for the first time in the third quarter after Petty-Evans connected on her second three-pointer of the game to put the Blackbirds up 52-32 at the 5:43 mark.
The Blackbirds' largest led came about three minutes later as Waithe capped an 8-0 surge with a steal and score that gave LIU a 60-36 edge.
Wagner made it final push as the quarter ended, trimming LIU's lead by 8 by the end of the third (60-44) and outscoring the hosts 18-6 over the first seven minutes of the fourth to shrink LIU's lead to four (66-62). The Seahawks would pull to within three (72-69) with three seconds left but Petty-Evans, along with redshirt junior Drew Winter, combined to score the Blackbirds' final eight points to keep Wagner's rally at bay.
OTHER NOTES
- One game after recording her first game of ten or more assists at Saint Francis (10 assists), Winter dished out a new career-high of 12 assists against the Seahawks. Over the last 20 seasons, no other Blackbird player has accomplished that feat.
- Waithe joined the assist party with a career-best five helpers of her own. As a team, LIU had 21 assists and an assist-to-turnover differential of +8 (both season highs).
- LIU's 74 points were the team's most in a game this season and its highest tally since scoring 75 at home against Saint Francis U. on January 9, 2016. The offensive total came as a result of LIU's highest total of made field goals this year (28).
- LIU matched Wagner in the rebounding battle, 37-37. The Blackbirds are 3-0 this year when playing to an even rebounding total or outrebounding their opponent.
NEXT UP
LIU will wrap up the two-game homestand with a game against Mount St. Mary's on Monday, January 15 at 2 p.m