Sara Oblak's Free Throws Push Women's Basketball to 62-57 Victory Over Mount St. Mary's

(boxscore)

1/20/05 -- Sophomore Sara Oblak (Skofja Loka, Slovenia) hit four free throws in the final 12 seconds for the last of her team-high 12 points as Long Island won its seventh straight from Mount St. Mary’s, 62-57 in Northeast Conference play at Schwartz Center.

Samira Rashid made 1-of-2 free throws to bring the Mountaineers (3-13, 2-5 NEC) within 56-55 with 2:10 left. Senior Polona Oberc (Ljubljana, Slovenia) boosted the lead for LIU (8-8, 4-3) to three with 1:48 to go on a layup.

The teams then went scoreless for over 1 1/2 minutes. Included in that stretch was Tiffany Green missing a layup for the Mount with senior Ravin Chase (Baltimore, Md.) ripping a potential offensive rebound away from Dita Krumberga with 24 seconds left.

Oblak during that span missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 21 seconds left. But after Green misfired twice from the stripe with 13 seconds remaining, Oblak redeemed herself by nailing two from the line one second later for a 60-55 contest.

Rashid made a driving layup with 7.2 seconds left before Oblak converted twice more for the final margin, clinching the Blackbirds’ third victory in their last four outings.

Oblak shot 4-of-8 from the floor to help LIU shoot 49 percent (26-of-53) overall. Sophomore Kelli Sawyer (Philadelphia, Pa.) had 10 points and eight rebounds with Chase, sophomore Masa Susic (Zenica, Bosnia & Herzegovina) and freshman Mikaelar Whippy (Suva, Fiji) adding eight points apiece.

Rashid poured in 12 points off the bench on 5-of-10 shooting with Green and Shamica Spears adding 10 apiece for the Mountaineers, who were held to 37 percent (19-of-52) shooting and 1-of-10 from 3-point range.

LIU visits Central Connecticut State on Saturday for a 1:00 pm tip-off.