The Knights (8-8, 3-2 NEC) comeback effort at St. Francis Brooklyn fell short, 64-56. After finding itself down 48-37 nearly seven minutes into the second half, FDU outscored SFC, 16-5, to knot the game at 53 with 4:52 to go.

The Terriers answered with four straight points before Miah Register (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Catholic)'s three from the right wing cut the lead to 57-56 with 1:40 remaining, but it was the final points the Knights would score as SFC scored the last seven points to seal the victory.

Redshirt junior Danielle Pankey (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) led the Knights with 14 points, four assists and four steals, while going 6-of-8 from the free throw line. Sophomore Stephanie Isaacs (Fair Haven, N.J./Rumson-Fair Haven) added 13 points, going 4-of-7 from three-point range. She also had three rebounds and three steals.

Sophomore Erika Livermore (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) picked up her 13th double-double of the season with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while junior Desiree Crawford (Aurora, Ontario/Cardinal Carter Catholic) and senior Torrie Childs (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Central) each pulled down nine boards.

For the contest, FDU shot 34.7 percent (17-of-49) after shooting over 40 percent and 6-of-12 from three-point range in the second half. Overall, the Knights knocked down 8-of-21 three's and 14-of-18 free throws.

The FDU defense held the Terriers to 33.3 percent (11-of-33, 1-of-10 from three-point range) over the final 20 minutes, as SFC finished the game shooting 38.1 percent (24-of-63) and 4-of-18 from downtown, while making 12-of-16 free throws.

SFC won the rebounding battle, 39-35, including 19-12 on the offensive glass. The Terriers dominated in the paint, outscoring the Knights, 34-14. They also forced 19 FDU turnovers, which resulted in 19 points, as the Knights scored only nine points on 12 turnovers.

Pankey leads FDU in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game, while scoring in double figures in 14 of 16 contests this season. She is also averaging 5.8 rebounds per contest and leads the team in steals (27). Over her last 12 games, Pankey has scored in double-figures and is averaging 17.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

Livermore is averaging 14.3 points and a team-high 11.8 rebounds per game, while shooting a team-best 48.6 percent (85-of-175) from the field. She has recorded 13 double-doubles in 16 games this season, which is tied for fourth in the country. Livermore's rebounding average is the sixth best in the nation.

The Blackbirds (3-13, 0-5 NEC), who are picked to finish sixth in the 12-team Northeast Conference, currently sit in a tie for last place after losing at home in the final seconds to Monmouth, 63-62, on Saturday to see their losing streak reach eight games. LIU lost at Quinnipiac (67-60) and Sacred Heart (61-47) to start conference place before losing three straight at home to Mount St. Mary's (66-41), Wagner (74-70) and Monmouth.

The Knights and the Blackbirds have played three common opponents: Columbia, Wagner and Mount St. Mary's. LIU started the season with a 53-42 win at Columbia, while FDU lost at Columbia, 54-47. The Knights won on the road at Wagner and Mount St. Mary's earlier in the conference season. Besides their win over Columbia, the Blackbirds defeated Towson at home in overtime, 65-63, and Ohio at home, 63-54.

LIU does not have a player scoring in double figures but is led by senior guard Krystal Wells, who is averaging a team-high 9.5 points per game. She leads the team in steals (23) and is the squad's leader in three-point shooting (35.5 percent, 27-of-76) and free throw shooting (75.6 percent, 31-of-41). Senior center Tamika Guz adds 9.3 points and a team-high nine blocked shots, as she leads the team in field goal percentage (50 percent, 65-of-130), while junior forward Cleandra Roberts chips in 7.7 points and a team-best 5.6 rebounds per game. Redshirt sophomore guard Kelly Robinson has dished out a team-high 79 assists (4.9 apg).

The Knights and the Blackbirds will be meeting for the 60th time in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1979-80 season.  FDU holds a 36-24 advantage but are 3-5 under Head Coach Pete Cinella, which includes a 64-53 loss at LIU in the 2008 Northeast Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

Last season, both teams won on their opponent's home courts: the Knights won in Brooklyn on Jan. 16, 2012, 71-65, before seeing the Blackbirds rally late in the regular-season finale at Stratis Arena for a 70-67 win on Feb. 27, 2012.

In the first meeting, FDU erased a 10-point first-half deficit to earn the victory. The Knights shot a season-high 47.2 percent from the field but were out-rebounded, 40-36. Mariyah Laury (Orange, NJ/Orange) led the team with 25 points, while Livermore and Pankey added 16 and 15 points, respectively. Livermore led the team with eight rebounds and went 8-for-8 from the free throw line.

In the second meeting, LIU jumped out to a 12-point first-half lead before FDU rallied to tie the game at 28 at halftime. In the second half, the Knights took an eight-point lead with seven minutes to go before the Blackbirds rallied to steal the victory. A layup from Livermore with 2:30 to play helped FDU maintain a seven-point lead, but two made free throws and a layup cut the deficit to just three points.  Five unanswered points by LIU tied the game at 67 with 49 seconds to play.

With 33 seconds left, the Knights missed a three-point attempt, giving the Blackbirds possession.  A layup by LIU gave them a 69-67 lead with 25 seconds left and a defensive stop and a free throw ultimately gave the road team the victory.

Laury led the Knights with 15 points, while Amanda Andrades (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne) added a career-high 11 points and a career-best six assists. Pankey and Livermore each chipped in 10 points, while Esther Wallace (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central) led the Knights with eight rebounds. The Knights were outrebounded, 38-39, but outshot the Blackbirds, 46.7 percent to 38.9 percent from the field. LIU went 26-for-32 from the charity stripe, while FDU only went ot the line seven times, making four.

Following the contest with LIU, the Knights will hit the road to Hamden, Conn. to face first-place Quinnpiac on Saturday, Jan. 26. Tipoff for the nationally-televised game is slated for 2:30 p.m.