LIU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL DROPS 61-46 DECISION TO DAYTON

(boxscore)

12/17/05 -- The Long Island University women’s basketball dropped a 61-46 decision to the Dayton Flyers in women’s basketball action on Saturday afternoon at the Schwartz Athletics Center.

Senior Amber Wirth (Hastings, Minn.) led the Blackbirds (2-7) with 16 points while junior Sara Oblak (Skofja Loka, Slovenia) finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.

After a sloppy opening minute which saw the teams combine for four turnovers, the Flyers’ Cara Wright broke the stalemate with a layup at the 19:03 mark. The Blackbirds would go on a 10-2 spurt, with Wirth connecting on two from long range to give the team a six-point advantage (10-4), their largest of the game.

Dayton would battle back, knotting the score at 14-14 on a Jennifer Strong jumper with 7:48 remaining in the opening stanza. Two consecutive baskets from Amber Peterink to finish the first half gave Dayton a 35-20 lead at the break. The Flyers shot a blistering 63 percent from the floor in the first period.

In the second half, the Flyers pushed to an 18-point advantage (58-40) after an 11-4 spurt capped off by a free throw from Nikki Oakland with 3:40 showing. The Blackbirds drained two consecutive treys, courtesy of Wirth and Anna Dziadkowiec (Krakow, Poland), that cut the lead to 12 with 2:45 left in the game, but their comeback attempt would fall short.

Wright notched her third consecutive double-double with 16 points and 12 boards for the Flyers, while Jennifer Strong led the team with 17 points.

The Blackbirds host the N.Y. Gazelles in an exhibition contest on Wednesday, December 21 at 7:00 p.m.