PHOENIX, Ariz.— The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team wraps up its road stretch out west for the Grand Canyon University Thanksgiving Classic November 23-24. The Blackbirds square off against UC Irvine before meeting with tournament host to conclude the weekend; both contests are slated for 4:00 p.m. tip-offs as game two of doubleheader at Grand Canyon Arena.
QUICK HITS
- LIU dropped its matchup this past Saturday to Saint Peter's 86-59 to end its string of MAAC opponents to start the season.
- Freshman Kiara Bell led the Blackbirds with a career-high 16 points against the Peacocks. She finished just shy of a double-double with a career-high nine rebounds.
- Freshman Brandy Thomas continued her standout play with her fourth straight double-double with 13 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. Fellow first-year guards Camille Gray and Tiya Misir contributed a career-high nine points each.
- It is LIU's first trip out west to the "Grand Canyon State" since 2013. The Blackbirds will meet the Antelopes for the second time, with GCU earning a 72-63 victory on Dec. 28, 2013. LIU will square off with UC Irvine for the first-time in program history.
- UC Irvine enters the weekend with a 3-0 record on the year. The Anteaters were picked to finish third in the preseason Big West poll. Preseason all-conference selection Jordan Sanders leads the team with 17.7 points per game on the year. Haleigh Talbert and Andee Ritter also average double figures for UC Irvine. As a team the Anteaters rank fifth in the nation in scoring defense allowing just 48 points per game.
- Grand Canyon, tournament host of the four-team tournament this weekend comes into the weekend with a 1-2 record under second-year head coach Nicole Powell. Rookie Velna Varis leads the team with 12.7 points per game. Preseason All-WAC selection AJ Cephas ranks right behind her with 12.5 points per game and Lauren Piera sits eighth in the nation with 7.3 assists per game.
UP NEXT
The Blackbirds return home to the Steinberg Center to close out the opening month of the season against UMass-Lowell on Thursday, November 29 at 7:00 p.m.