WEST POINT, N.Y.— The Long Island University women's basketball team battled back in the second half but ultimately fell short in overtime against Army West Point, 67-60 at Christl Arena.
Three scorers finished in double figures for the Sharks in the overtime setback. Sophomore
Kiara Bell recorded the first double-double of her career, finishing with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Junior
Jeydah Johnson also added 14 points and sophomore
Shyla Sanford contributed 12 points for LIU.
GAME BREAKDOWN
LIU opened the first quarter with Johnson and Sanford connecting on back-to-back threes for an 8-3 lead at the 5:32 mark. Army answered with back-to-back threes of their own shortly after to make it a one-point game, 10-9 with 3:21 to go. The Sharks held the Black Knights scoreless over the remaining time in the opening quarter, getting four points from Bell to take a 14-9 lead into the second quarter.
The Black Knights stormed out of the quarter break with an 11-point run to take the lead 20-14 with 7:31 to go in the quarter. LIU used a 7-2 stretch over the next few minutes as a jumper from Bell cut the deficit to one point, 22-21 with 4:07 to go in the quarter. The Black Knights closed out the quarter on a 10-2 favor for the 32-23 lead at the half.
Army held the Sharks at bay for a majority of the third quarter, holding a nine-point lead, 29-38 at the 3:10 mark. LIU got going offensively in the final three minutes of the quarter as Bell, Johnson and Sanford led an 8-2 closing stretch. Bell closed the quarter with back-to-back baskets to make it a three-point game, 40-37, heading into the fourth quarter.
The start of the fourth quarter belonged to the Black Knights as they outscored LIU, 12-5 in the first four minutes for a 10-point lead at 52-42. The Sharks didn't back down, answering with an extended 14-0 run to the final minute of regulation. A triple by Johnson gave the Sharks the 55-52 lead in the final minute. Army connected on a pair of free throws to make it a one-point game with 54 seconds remaining in regulation. LIU stretched the lead back to two, 56-54, on a free throw by Sanford with 18 seconds to go. The Black Knights drew a foul with three seconds remaining and made a pair of free throws tie the game, 56-56 and force overtime.
Both teams traded points at the charity stripe in the first two and a half minutes of overtime. The home team then used a four-point swing to gain control of the lead 62-58 with 1:25 to go. LIU made it a two-point game with 35 seconds to go on a pair of free throws from Sanford. Army called a timeout after the two makes by Sanford to advance the ball. The LIU defense forced a five second violation on the inbound attempt to get the ball back, but a turnover on the offensive end by LIU gave Army the ball back with 31 seconds to go. The Black Knights took advantage at the line in the final 30 seconds to earn the 67-60 win.
SHARK BITES
- Bell tallied a career-high 13 rebounds in the double-double effort. She also registered a career-high four blocks on the defensive end. with a career-high five blocks.
- Johnson finished in double-digits scoring for the fourth straight game, and Sanford finished in double-figures for the second consecutive game.
- Junior Zhané Williams contributed a season-high seven points to go along with two assists.
- Sophomore Ryan Weise grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds.
- LIU turned the ball over just 10 times in the game while Army recorded 29 turnovers.
- The Sharks forced a season-high 15 steals against the Black Knights, led by a career-high seven steals from Sanford.
UP NEXT
The Sharks travel to UMass Lowell on Sunday, December 8 for their final road non-conference game of the season. The Sharks and Riverhawks are slated for a 1:00 p.m. contest at the Tsongas Center.
