Despite Injuries LIU Women's Basketball Remains Competitive

FORT GREENE. Today’s 2 p.m. women’s basketball game at the Steinberg Wellness Center between LIU Brooklyn and Mount St. Mary’s—teams holding down the final two Northeast Conference playoff berths—marks the 30th annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day, a national celebration of women and girls’ extraordinary sports achievements. With only six healthy players—five scholarship athletes and a walk-on—LIU (6-15, 4-6 NEC) looks to continue its own extraordinary sports adventure: the pursuit of postseason play in 2016.

If the NEC playoffs started today, the Blackbirds—in the midst of a rebuilding effort under new head coach Stephanie Oliver—would improbably be in. So too would the Mountaineers (5-16, 3-7 NEC), whom the Blackbirds beat 61-51 earlier this season. In that early January matchup, LIU played eight, a veritable army compared to the injury-shortened roster the Blackbirds have fielded the past four games.

Only five scholarship athletes—Brianna Farris, Jolanna Ford, Stylz Sanders, Shanice Vaughan and DeAngelique Waithe—and walk-on Lily Abreu, have suited up for games against St. Francis Brooklyn, Farleigh Dickinson (twice) and Sacred Heart. The starting five has averaged 37.7 minutes per game (out of 40) or 94% of the total minutes played while winning one of the four, 65-62 last Saturday over FDU, LIU’s first win at home this season in 10 tries.

The Blackbirds’ roster woes have not been confined to the past few contests; in December LIU traveled to Annapolis and—with only seven players—beat Navy 68-66 in overtime. Shanovia Dove led the Blackbirds that night with a career-high 27 points; she hasn’t returned to the court since getting injured early in LIU’s 73-63 win over Wagner three weeks ago.

Vaughan, a senior who has started all 21 of LIU’s games and leads the team in points, free throws, field goals and assists (as well as turnovers), has been remarkable, logging 35.5 minutes a game for the season. Absent Dove—whose 12.6 points per game leads the Blackbirds—Vaughan (12.4 PPG) and Farris, a junior averaging 7.9 PPG, have shouldered much of the team’s offensive load.

With eight conference games remaining—half of them at home—the Blackbirds are only 2 games in front of ninth-place Wagner, who will visit Brooklyn on February 29th, LIU’s final game of the regular season. Perhaps by then enough of Coach Oliver’s players will have recovered to help the Blackbirds accomplish the unexpected: a NEC playoff game in March.

LIU Brooklyn women’s basketball versus Mount St. Mary’s, Saturday, February 6, 2 p.m. The Steinberg Wellness Center, 161 Ashland Place (between Court and Clinton Streets); Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children. For information contact Sharon Abbate, Associate Director of Athletics at sharron.abbate@liu.edu / 718-780-4072

PHOTO CAPTION: LIU Women’s basketball team celebrates first home win of the season, over Farleigh Dickinson

PHOTO CREDIT: Bob Dea