Box Score BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Redshirt junior
Erika Livermore (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) scored her 1,000th career point and scored a team-high 25 points but it was enough as the Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball team fell on the road at LIU Brooklyn Monday night, 81-71. With the loss, the Knights' record stands at 3-9 (0-2 NEC), while the Blackbirds improve to 4-9 (1-1 NEC) overall.
"We showed great resiliency and fought hard for all 40 minutes." Head Coach Pete Cinella said, "It was an impressive effort to outrebound them on their home court. Great efforts for Erika on her 1,000-point night and
Kelsey Cruz (Chester, Va./Lloyd C. Bird) and a good step-up game for
Anastasia Williams (Central Islip, N.Y./St. John the Baptist Diocesan)."
Livermore, who missed all of last season due to injury, tallied a game-high 16 points at halftime and sank the second of two free throws midway through the second period to eclipse the career mark.
With FDU leading 6-5 at the first media timeout, the hosts rattled off eight straight points to take a 13-5 lead but the Knights answered with seven straight points of their own to tie it back up. With 10 minutes to go, the Blackbirds closed out the first half on a 25-14 run as FDU committed 10 turnovers during that span.
LIU Brooklyn opened up the second half 8-2 run to push its lead to the largest it would get in the game, 17, before the Knights went on a big 15-2 run over just 3:41. Over that span, FDU shot 7-of-10, including the team's only three of the contest.
The Blackbirds pushed the lead back up to 13 with less than nine minutes left before FDU once again went on a big run, this time a 16-4 sprint over seven minutes.
The lead was short-lived as the hosts quickly regained advantage and closed the contest out on a 16-7 run.
Livermore's team-high 25 points came on an efficient 8-of-13 line and the center chipped in nine rebounds, three blocks, and one steal in 35 minutes.
Cruz piled in 24 points on 10-of-23 shooting in 37 minutes, while
Amanda Andrades (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne) added eight points, four assists, and five steals in a game-high 40 minutes of action.
Redshirt sophomore Williams put up season-highs of eight points and eight rebounds in just 15 minutes and sophomore
Kiana Brown (Richmond, Va./Hermitage) had a solid game of six points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
Sophie Bhasin had a game-high 27 points on 8-of-19 shooting, including 10-of-11 makes from the line, and Shanovia Dove helped her team's cause with 16 points and a team-high four steals.
FDU outrebounded its opponent for just the second time this season, 45-43, but committed a season-high 24 turnovers. The Knights outshot the Blackbirds, 41.3% to 40.3%.
FDU finishes its out-of-conference slate with a road trip to Columbia on Wednesday night, Jan. 7, the third game of four in a 10-day span. Tipoff in Manhattan is slated for 7 p.m.
