BROOKLYN, N.Y.-- The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team returns home to the Steinberg Center after a four-game road swing to take on UMass-Lowell on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m.
QUICK HITS
- The Blackbirds closed out a trip out west with a 65-62 overtime loss to Grand Canyon University. LIU outscored the Antelopes 21-14 in the fourth quarter to force the extra period but were unable to close out the win as GCU clinched the game at the buzzer.
- Sophomore Jeydah Johnson put together a game-high 20 points for her second straight 20-point performance. Freshman Brandy Thomas tallied her sixth consecutive double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Sophomore Tia Montagne contributed a season-high seven points to go along with five assists.
- UMass Lowell enters Thursday's contest with a 2-4 record on the season under first-year head coach Tom Garrick. The River Hawks opened the season with a final second lost to Bryant (58-57) before earning wins over Saint Peter's and Fisher College. Since then they have lost three-straight on the road and have gone winless in their last 14 road contests dating back to December 7th of last season.
- Brianna Rudolph is the team's leading scorer with 11.4 points per game to go along with 4.7 rebounds per contest. She is followed by Katherine Smith with 8.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Ren'Cia Rolling has been the leading facilitator with 5.8 assists per game and also leads the team with 5.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals per contest.
- This will be the first time in school history that the Blackbirds will face the River Hawks. LIU is 7-14 all-time against America East foes, competing against five of the leagues nine members.
TERRIFIC THOMAS
-Freshman Brandy Thomas has had a sensational start to her collegiate career with the Blackbirds. The New York product is averaging a team-best 14.7 points per game and 12.8 rebounds per game, registering a double-double in each of her six collegiate contests. Her strong play has her among the nation's leaders in several categories. First, her six double-doubles on the season is tied for first in the nation. She ranks third in the country with six offensive rebounds per contest and her 77 total boards is eighth in the nation. Her season average of 12.8 rebounds sits just outside the top-10 at 12th overall.
20-20 JEY
- Jeydah Johnson found her groove out west in the desert during the two-game weekend for LIU. The sophomore guard averaged 21.0 points per game and shot .469 from the field at the GCU Thanksgiving Classic. She set a new single-game high for the season with 22 points against UC Irvine including 5-11 from downtown. She followed that up with a game-high 20 points versus tournament host GCU on Saturday. Johnson now has five 20-point performances for her career and posted back-to-back 20 point showings for the first time in her LIU career.
TURNING THE PAGE
- In its last three contests, LIU has turned up the intensity on second chance opportunities. After a slow start, the Blackbirds have outworked their opponents with a 54-39 margin in second chance points.
- The Blackbirds have also out-rebounded their opponents in three straight matchups. Cleaning up on the glass has allowed the team to get more points in the paint as well. LIU has outscored the opposition 101-90 in points in the paint during the last three matchups.
UP NEXT
The Blackbirds travel to the University of Michigan on Thursday, December 6 for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off from the Crisler Center.