HACKENSACK, N.J. — The Long Island University women's basketball team (21-10, 14-4 NEC) travels across the Hudson River on Sunday, March 15 taking on top-seeded FDU in the NEC Women's Basketball Tournament championship as 12 p.m.
LIU, the tournament's No. 3 seed, dominated No. 2 seed Mercyhurst University in the NEC semifinals, defeating the Lakers 82-64 on the road in Erie, Pennsylvania. Graduate student Kionna Gaines paced the Sharks with 24 points, recording her third consecutive double-double with 10 rebounds.
FDU won both games against LIU in the regular season; first a 59-58 thriller in Brooklyn on Jan. 17, and again on Feb. 28 in Hackensack by a score of 82-49.
Sunday will mark LIU's fifth appearence in the NEC title game in program history, and the first time in the Sharks era of the program. LIU's last appearance came in the 2009-10 season.
Sunday's game will be televised on ESPNU, with Chuckie Kempf (play-by-play) and Kai Crutchfield (analyst) on the call. Additional audio coverage available on the LIU Sharks Audio Network via the Varsity Network App, with "The Voice of the Sharks" Phil Constantino (play-by-play) and Hevynne Bristow (analyst) on the call.
Quick Facts
-KNIGHT HISTORY: Sunday's game will be the 102nd all-time meeting between LIU and FDU, with FDU leading the all-time record 58-43. FDU won both regular season matchups; 59-58 in Brooklyn on Jan. 17, and 82-49 at home on Feb. 28.
-LAST TIME OUT: Playing in its first NEC semifinal of the Sharks era, LIU defeated No. 2 seed Mercyhurst 82-64 on the road. Kionna Gaines led LIU with 24 points, posting her third straight double-double with 10 rebounds. Kadidia Toure (16 points), Leila Nuñez (12), and Hannah Humphrey (10) finished in double figures.
-CONFERENCE-HIGHS: LIU finished the regular season leading the conference in PPG (70), blocks per game (4), free throw attempts/made per game (18.93/13.83), defensive rebounds (26.3), and three-point percentage defense (27.7).
-NEC AWARDS: Kadidia Toure earned NEC Player of the Year honors on Monday, becoming the third recipient in program history (Tamika Dudley, 2001-02; Valerie Nainima, 2006-07). Toure also received NEC Newcomer of the Year, 1st Team All-NEC, and All-Defensive Team honors. Janessa Williams was named 1st Team All-NEC, marking time since 2001 that LIU has had two 1st-Team All-NEC honorees.
-CONFERENCE PLAY: LIU's 14 NEC wins are tied for the second-most NEC wins in program history (2009-10), and the most since LIU won 15 NEC games in the 2006-07 season. With the win over Le Moyne on Jan. 15, LIU set a new program-best start to NEC play (5-0). LIU's last double-digit NEC win season was 2011-12.
-STACKING WINS: This year's LIU team reached double-digit wins for the first time in the Sharks era of the program, and the first time since the 2017-18 season. LIU's 21 wins are tied for the 4th-most in program history (2011-12). This is the fifth 20-plus win season in program history.
-EYES ON TOURE: Kadidia Toure, a senior forward for the Sharks with previous stops at James Madison and Arizona State, led the NEC in PPG (18.8), RPG (10), and blocks (1.4) per game during the regular season. The Silver Spring, Maryland native has received Player of the Week honors from the NEC (3x), Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association, and the US Basketball Writers Association. Toure's 15 double-doubles leads the NEC, and is tied for 18th in Division I.
-1st YEAR SUCCESS: LIU hired head coach Neil Harrow in April 2025 after recent stops at James Madison University and in the WNBA with the Los Angeles Sparks. In his first season in Brooklyn, Harrow set a new program record for most wins by a first-year head coach (20; Previous best, 16 by Anthony Bozzella in 2000-01).
