HOUSTON, Tex. - The No. 16 LIU Brooklyn bowling team went 2-3 on Saturday at the Stormin' LadyJack Classic, hosted by Stephen F. Austin University in Houston, Texas, and moved up two spots to ninth place in the event with strong individual performances in traditional play.
First up for the Blackbirds, was No. 13 Alabama-Birmingham in a position round match, which LIU won 1033-964, behind a 258 from junior Kayla Johnson. Senior
Lauren McKowen posted a 215 in the match and freshman
Kellie Frain threw a 203 to clinch the victory.
Back into pool play for the second of five traditional matches on the slate, LIU faced No. 3 Arkansas State, who squeaked out a 944-941 win, even with 200+ games from McKowen (210) and Frain (209). Following that match was a 963-898 loss to No. 19 Louisiana Tech, despite a 227 from McKowen.
The No. 7 SFA Jacks were next up for the Blackbirds, and the home team won, 1058-892. Last on the day's slate was Bethune-Cookman. The Blackbirds took down the Wildcats, 996-788, with Johnson and McKowen leading the way, bowling a 224 and 206, respectively.
McKowen stands in 12th place in the individual rankings, with a 207.8 average in five matches, while Johnson carried a 202.75 average in four matches, as LIU looks to move up in Sunday's bracketed playoff.
LIU will face No. 17 North Carolina A&T in the first match at 9:30, Sunday morning, when the format switches to three best 4-of-7 Baker matches. The Blackbirds will then finish with two additional matches in bracket play to close out the event.