Red Hot 3-Point Shooting Helps Women's Basketball to 68-55 Triumph Over New Orleans

(boxscore)

12/16/04 -- Junior Amber Wirth (Hastings, Minn.) scored 17 points with five 3-pointers and sophomore Sara Oblak (Skofja Loka, Slovenia) tied a season high with 16 points as Long Island hit 10 times from beyond the arc for its third victory in four outings, 68-55 over the University of New Orleans at Schwartz Center.

The Blackbirds (4-3) grabbed control of the contest with a 17-2 run in just over five minutes for a 27-10 lead with 3:56 left in the opening half. Wirth scored five points, including a 3-pointer, and Oblak also netted five.

Wirth and sophomore Kelli Sawyer (Philadelphia, Pa.) netted eight points apiece in the first half to help LIU own a 32-18 lead. The Blackbirds hit five 3-pointers in that time and held the Privateers (0-8) to 35 percent (9-of-26) shooting, including 0-of-8 from beyond the arc.

Wirth, who shot 6-of-13 from the floor overall and 5-of-10 from 3-point range, moved into 20th place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 731 points. She needs just three points to tie for 19th place held by Zanthea Taylor (1979-83).

Oblak, who also grabbed seven rebounds, matched her point total for the second straight game after doing so Saturday at Columbia and is averaging 15.3 points over her last four contests.

Sawyer netted 12 points and senior Polona Oberc (Ljubljana, Slovenia) added 11, nine assists and seven rebounds for LIU, which hit 10 three-pointers to fall two shy of tying the school record accomplished three times.

Tomesia Winston had 18 points and nine rebounds, Joevone Markey netted 16 points and Le’Della English added 14 for New Orleans, which shot 55 percent (16-of-29) in the second half but was 0-of-12 for the contest from 3-point range.

LIU closes its two-game homestand Monday against Fresno State. Tip-off is at 7:00 pm.