Celebrating 80 Years of Service to LIU

ack up by two. Nainima then put
up a spinning jumper to tie the game
at 13.
The most impressive part of the
weekend was that the Blackbirds let
their offense dictate their defense
just as head coach Stephanie Gaitley
stressed they should be doing.
After missing two close-range
layup attempts, Oblak tapped the
ball out but FDU grabbed the loose
ball. Nainima was having none of
that, ripping the ball out of the FDU
player’s hands and popping a 3pointer.
On the Blackbirds’ next
possession, Nainima made the traditional
three-point play, hitting the
layup while getting fouled and making
the free throw that followed, to
give her team a 25-19 lead.
The Blackbirds also hustled on
every play; after a turnover by
Dziadkowiec, James raced downcourt
and jarred the ball loose to prevent
the FDU fast break.
Long Island also played smart,
team offense. Normally struggling
on the offensive end, the Blackbirds
kept looking for the open player and
took smart shots. On one possession
every player touched the ball. It
started off with a rebound by James.
She then threw the outlet pass to
Nainima who passed to Oblak under
the basket. Oblak gave it to Whippy
who finally found Johnson for the 3point
basket to increase the
Blackbird lead to 55-43.
On its next possession, LIU took
its largest lead of the game going up
15 off another Johnson 3-point shot.
FDU never recovered.
The Knights’ Christy Altamirano
scored a game-high 24 points and
Jennifer Walkling added 14 points.
They also had seven and nine
rebounds respectively.
In both games, rather than relying
on Nainima to score most of the
points, everyone got involved.
During their victory against FDU,
Nainima scored 20 points and
grabbed 10 rebounds while Johnson
had a career high 19 points. Whippy
added 10 points and James had a
game high 10 rebounds to go with
eight points.
"I thought we all stepped up as
a team," said Gaitley. "These guys
all brought something to the table so
that we could accomplish what we
did today."
Next up for the Blackbirds is the
defending NEC Tournament
Champions, Robert Morris. The
game is Sunday, March 16 at 3 p.m.
in Moon Township, Pa. It will be televised
on ESPNU.
Sports
Head to NEC Finals for First Time Since ‘02
Long Island 67
.................................
Quinnipiac 63
is a Charm
win over Monmouth.
While Logan leads the Colonials
in scoring, Nesbit is second on the
team and seventh in the conference
at 15.6 points per game. Nesbit
leads the team and is second in the
conference in both rebounding at
nine a game and assists with 4.28 per
game. Teammate Angela Pace is
eighth at 7.5 rebounds per game
while Kendra Williams is second on
the team and fifth in the conference
with 3.45 assists per game.
Johnson leads Long Island in
rebounding and is sixth in the conference
at 7.7 rpg. Connie James is
second for the Blackbirds in both
rebounds and assists with 6.2 rpg and
3.19 apg. Nainima not only leads the
team in points but also in assists and
is eighth in the conference with 3.29
apg.
Robert Morris is the No. 2 seed
and it’s obvious why it is probably
the toughest team in the conference.
The Colonials are consistent on both
ends of the court. Long Island is the
No. 4 seed and, even with its inconsistency,
the Blackbirds are probably
the scariest. Even with their inconsistencies,
one thing other NEC
teams know is that when they are at
their best the Blackbirds are
extremely difficult to beat.
The Blackbirds and Colonials fight
for a spot in the NCAA Tournament
on Sunday, March 16 at 3 p.m. in
Moon Township, Pa. The game will
be televised on ESPNU.
Mikaelar Whippy made three key scores down the stretch, including two free throws that gave the Blackbirds a
seven point lead with little over a minute left. The senior finished with 12 points.
(Photo Credit: David Gardiner/www.davidgg.com)
Seawanhaka
March 12, 2008 Page 21
March 12, 2008 Vol. LXXXI, Issue 7