Box Score
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Feb. 6, 2010) – Despite a furious second half comeback that saw the Pioneers whittle an 18-point deficit to just four points with two-and-a-half minutes to play, the C.W. Post men's basketball team was unable to complete the comeback and fell victim to a hot-shooting University of Bridgeport squad by an 81-73 final score on Saturday afternoon in Hubbell Gymnasium.

The loss snaps a 13-game winning streak for the Pioneers, who slip to second place in the ECC standings with a 16-5 overall and 12-3 conference record, while Bridgport, by virtue of a 16-7 overall and 13-2 conference record, takes over sole possession of first place in the standings. 

The game started out as a tight one, with the Pioneers jumping out to a 5-0 lead by the Purple Knights quickly answering to knot the contest at 8-8 at the 16:09 mark. The game was tied again at 10-10, but a 7-0 run by the hosts capped by a jumper from Dave Boykin at 13:08 gave Bridgeport a 17-0 advantage. However, a trey from senior guard Roberto Macklin (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) got the Pioneers going and they pulled to within 19-17 after another jumper by Macklin completed the 7-2 spurt. 

But Bridgeport again went on the offensive, reeling off 10 straight points over the next 3-and-a-half minutes to stretch to a double-digit spread over the Pioneers, 29-19. The Pioneers scored two quick buckets to pull to 29-23, but Bridgeport quickly answered back with knockdown shooting from Kirk Williams and Steve Martin, to end the half with a 14-4 run that saw the Pioneers looking at a 16-point, 43-27 deficit heading into halftime.

Coming out of the half, C.W. Post did little to improve its fortunes as Bridgeport took a game-high 18-point lead at the 18:02 mark. But the Pioneers steadily chipped away, and midway through the second half, were able to shrink the deficit to 59-48 following two free throws from junior forward Aaron Hall (Syracuse, N.Y.). Bridgeport seemed determined to keep the Pioneers at arm's length, and the deficit hovered at around 10, but a jumper followed by a three -pointer from senior guard Nemanja Jokic (Sombor, Serbia) pulled the Pioneers to 62-57 and made it a six-point contest. 

Two UB buckets pushed the lead back to 10, but a lay-up by Hall at 4:02, followed by a floater from Jokic at 3:20 and another basket from Hall at 2:25 had the Pioneers within four points, with the score at 69-65. But Boykin nailed a shot from downtown to push the lead back to seven, and despite the Pioneers best efforts, near perfect foul shooting down the stretch from Bridgeport - who made 9-of-10 attempts from the charity stripe in the last minute and a half of play – sealed the victory for the Purple Knights.

C.W. Post got a game-high 22 points from Hall on 10-16 shooting, and Jokic chipped in with 18 points including three treys. Macklin added 14 points and two steals to the effort, and the Pioneers posted a 46% mark from the floor, making 29-of-63 and 9-12 from the charity stripe, but Bridgeport's sizzling 60% shooting for the game was too much for the Pioneers, despite holding a 36-26 edge on the glass. The Purple Knights also took advantage of uncharacteristic turnovers by C.W. Post, scoring 31 points off 21 turnovers. 

Steve Martin led UB with 21 points, and Kirk Williams added 15, while Lee Frazier posted 13 points and Boykin chipped in with 11. 

The Pioneers look to resume their winning ways on Wednesday as they play host to Mercy for a 7 p.m. tip-off.