Women's Basketball Falls Short in 57-52 Setback at Quinnipiac

(boxscore)

1/29/05 -- Sophomore Kelli Sawyer (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored 12 points, but Long Island gave up the game's final five points in a 57-52 Northeast Conference loss to Quinnipiac in Hamden, Conn.

The Blackbirds (9-10, 5-5 NEC) scored five straight points in just under 1 1/2 minutes to forge a 47-47 tie with 6:19 left. Sawyer hit two free throws and freshman Mikaelar Whippy (Suva, Fiji) capped the run on a three-point play.

Krystal Pressley, who scored Quinnipiac's final 12 points, hit a layup with 4:49 remaining before Whippy added her own layup on the next possession for a 49-49 tie.

Pressley knocked down a 3-pointer with four minutes left to give Quinnipiac (9-8, 6-2) a 52-49 lead. LIU's last basket of the contest came courtesy of sophomore Masa Susic (Zenica, Bosnia & Herzegovina), who had her foot on the line on a jumper with 3:42 to go for a one-point game.

Senior Polona Oberc (Ljubljana, Slovenia) hit 1-of-2 from the line with 2:43 to play for the game's sixth tie, 52-52. But Pressley again came through for the Bobcats, hitting a layup with 77 seconds left for a 54-52 contest.

After Oberc traveled on the next possession with 46 seconds left, LIU thought it had a defensive stop when Pressley tossed an air ball but the ball deflected out off a Blackbird. Pressley iced the game by taking the inbounds pass and nailing the last of her four 3-pointers with 20 seconds to go for the final score.

Whippy and senior Ravin Chase (Baltimore, Md.) scored eight points apiece for LIU, which was dealt its first NEC road loss of the season (3-1).

The Blackbirds shot just 35 percent (18-of-51) from the field and only 32 percent (6-of-19) from 3-point range.

Pressley netted 20 points on 7-of-18 shooting, Hannalee Pervan scored 10 and Monique Lee grabbed 11 rebounds for the Bobcats, who shot 41 percent (23-of-56) overall.

LIU visits St. Francis (NY) on Wednesday in Brooklyn Heights. Tip-off is at 7:00 pm.