Women's Basketball Posts 64-52 Win Over St. Francis (NY);Wirth named MVP of The Battle of Brooklyn

(boxscore)

1/23/06 -- Senior Amber Wirth (Hastings, Minn.) scored 16 points to lead Long Island University (5-11, 3-4 Northeast Conference) to a 64-52 victory over St. Francis College (3-15, 2-7) in the 13th annual Battle of Brooklyn women’s basketball game at the Peter Aquilone Court on Monday evening. The triumph was the Blackbirds second consecutive road win.

St. Francis (NY) enjoyed a seven point lead (16-9) with 10:45 showing. However, Long Island outscored the Terriers, 20-10, over the remainder of the period to bring a 29-26 lead into the intermission. Masa Susic (Zenica, Bosnia &Herzegovina) led the way for the Blackbirds, scoring eight of her 11 points during the final 10:30 of the first half.

Both teams’ offenses were the story in the first half, as the Blackbirds and Terriers both shot 48 percent from the field during the opening 20 minutes. LIU shot 55.6 percent from 3-point range.

In the second half, the Blackbirds opened with two successive baskets from junior Marquita Thompson (Garland, Texas). The Terriers cut the margin to 33-31 with 18:02 remaining on a three-point goal by junior Valentina Ionova. However, the Blackbirds answered by going on an 11-2 run, capped by Wirth’s three-point goal with 12:49 to play which gave Long Island a 44-33 advantage.

Sophomore Mikaelar Whippy (Suva, Fiji) hit two free throws to give LIU a 13 point edge, its largest lead of the contest, with 1:11 remaining. The Blackbirds never looked back, winning the Battle of Brooklyn, 64-52.

Wirth was named the Most Valuable Player in the Battle of Brooklyn. She was joined in the scoring column by teammates Thompson (13 points) and Susic (11 points). St. Francis sophomore Tiffany Hill led all scorers with 20 points, while Katja Bavendam added 10 points for the Terriers.

The Blackbirds welcome Wagner to the new Wellness, Recreation, and Athletic Center on Saturday, January 28. Tip-off is at 2:00 pm