BROOKLYN, N.Y.— The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team ended its non-conference schedule with a 55-50 win over Lafayette on Saturday afternoon at the Steinberg Wellness Center. The Blackbirds overcame a slow opening quarter, outscoring the visiting Leopards in the final three periods to take the matchup.
LIU had two scorers in double figures in the win with redshirt-sophomore Erykah Russell and freshman Brandy Thomas each finishing with 11 points. Sophomore Jeydah Johnson contributed nine points for the Blackbirds. Thomas also added team-high eight rebounds while Russell snagged five boards in her LIU debut. As a team the Blackbirds committed a season-low 11 turnovers in the win.
After a nine-day holiday break, Lafayette was the first team to get going with a 8-2 start through the first half of the opening period. The Blackbirds would eventually bring the lead back down to two with 3:32 to go on an old-fashioned three-point play from Thomas. But it was a five-point closing run for the Leopards to claim a 14-7 lead after the first quarter.
The Blackbirds responded with a five points swing to open the second quarter, capped by a layup from freshman Shyla Sanford to put the score to 14-12 with 8:02 to go. Lafayette responded by throwing together a 12-point run over the next four minutes to take its largest lead of the game at 26-12. LIU was there to answer, putting up the last run of the opening half with a 10-point stretch to close out the quarter for a slight four-point lead for Lafayette at 26-22.
LIU continued out of the half with back-to-back jumpers from Russell and Thomas to knot the game up at 26-26. Back and forth play would ensue for a majority of the third quarter with each team taking a slight shot at the lead. A jumper from the elbow from freshman Ryan Weise with 3:06 to go helped start a 8-2 closing stretch for the Blackbirds to take a 42-38 favor into the final period.
That slight lead would hold for the Blackbirds as the final period got underway with Lafayette creeping back to a two-point deficit with 7:24 to go. LIU responded with a five-point spurt as Weise hit a wide-open three to put the score at 49-42 at 5:26 in the fourth, forcing a Lafayette timeout. The visiting team would try to fight back, getting to within three points but it was LIU making free throws late to seal the 55-50 win.
UP NEXT
The Blackbirds will shift to Northeast Conference play to start the New Year, first up is a trip to Bryant on Saturday, January 5 at 1:00 p.m.
NOTES FROM THE NEST
- Russell set a career-high in points in her debut for the Blackbirds.
- Thomas finished in double-figures for a team-high eighth time this season.
- Senior Destoni Willock led the Blackbirds defensive efforts with a team-high two blocks to go along with three steals.
- LIU tied a season-high with 12 steals in the game as Willock, Thomas and Johnson recorded three steals each.
- The Blackbirds held Lafayette to an opponent low .053 shooting percentage from downtown.