Polona Oberc's 28 Points Not Enough for Women's Basketball in 83-66 Season-Opening Loss to Boston University

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11/23/04 -- Senior Polona Oberc (Ljubljana, Slovenia) poured in 28 points in her Division I debut, but it was not enough for Long Island in an 83-66 season-opening setback to Boston University at Schwartz Center.

Oberc, the first woman from Slovenia to be offered a women’s basketball scholarship in America and a transfer from Barry (Fla.) University, shot 11-of-17 from the floor, 3-of-5 from 3-point range and grabbed nine rebounds over 37 minutes. It was LIU’s most prolific scoring output since Kim Mac Millan netted 30 points against Morehead State on November 24, 2001.

The Terriers (1-1), idle since falling at Saint Joseph’s in the WNIT on November 12, took control thanks to a 17-5 run for a 67-53 lead with 3:25 left. Larissa Parr scored six points in that spurt and Corinne Jean added five, capping it with a layup.

Jean scored 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting and Parr added 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting with 12 rebounds for Boston University, which shot 58 percent (19-of-33) in the second half. The Terriers owned a 19-6 advantage in second-chance points and outrebounded the Blackbirds, 41-29.

Becky Bonner scored 15 points with three 3-pointers and Adrienne Norris contributed 12 points and nine rebounds for Boston U.

Sophomore Kelli Sawyer (Philadelphia, Pa.), a member of the Northeast Conference All-Rookie team last season, scored 13 points and senior Ravin Chase (Baltimore, Md.) added 10 and eight rebounds for LIU (0-1), which shot 46 percent (24-of-52) from the floor.

The Blackbirds continue their season-opening four-game homestand Friday against the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in the LIU Turkey Classic. Tip-off is at 2:00 pm followed by Miami (Fla.) against Oregon at 4:00 pm.