Women's Basketball Falls to St. Francis (NY), 62-57, in the “Battle of Brooklyn”

(boxscore)

2/21/05 -- Sophomore Sara Oblak (Skofja Loka, Slovenia) notched her first double-double with 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for Long Island, which could not hold a 13-point first-half lead in a 62-57 Northeast Conference home loss to St. Francis (NY) in the "Battle of Brooklyn."

Kim Bennett scored a career-best 25 points for the Terriers (8-16, 5-10 NEC) and was named “Battle of Brooklyn” Most Valuable Player. The contest was the last at Schwartz Center for the Blackbirds, who move into the 2,500-seat Athletic, Recreation and Wellness Center next season, and the last for seniors Ravin Chase (Baltimore, Md.) and Lana Kershaw (Hamilton, New Zealand).

The Blackbirds (9-16, 5-11 NEC) scored eight straight points to grab a 37-24 cushion with 1:17 left in the opening half. Junior Amber Wirth (Hastings, Minn.) hit two 3-pointers in that stretch for LIU, which shot 47 percent (14-of-30) from the floor in the first half for a 37-27 lead.

The Terriers (8-16, 5-10) began chipping away midway through the second half, using a 14-3 over seven minutes to gain a 53-49 lead with 4:35 to play. Bennett scored the last six points in that spurt, hitting 4-of-4 from the line and capping the run on a jumper.

The lead ballooned to 57-51 with 2:31 remaining when Kim Weir hit two free throws for St. Francis (NY), which shot 89 percent (16-of-18) from the line in the second half and 77 percent (20-of-26) overall.

Both teams traded baskets before Oblak nailed a jumper with 36 seconds left to move LIU within 59-56. But Bennett was fouled in the backcourt three seconds later and hit two free throws for a five-point margin.

Bennett shot 6-of-12 from the floor and 13-of-17 from the line over 39 minutes, helping the Terriers to their third straight victory over the Blackbirds and second in a row in the “Battle of Brooklyn.” St. Francis (NY) evened the “BOB” at 6-6 and notched its first season sweep over LIU since the 1998-99 campaign.

Freshman Mikaelar Whippy (Suva, Fiji) scored a career-high 14 points and Wirth added 13 and seven rebounds for LIU, which shot just 27 percent (7-of-26) in the second half and 38 percent (21-of-56) overall for its eighth straight setback.

LIU closes the regular season on a two-game road trip, beginning Saturday at Mount St. Mary’s. Tip-off is at 3:00 pm.