Women's Basketball Wins Sixth Straight; Beats Molloy, 83-74
Box Score
ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Jan 22, 2014) - The LIU Post women's basketball team captured its sixth-straight win Wednesday night, topping East Coast Conference rival Molloy, 83-74, at Quealy Gymnasium in Rockville Centre, N.Y.
The result is also the second-straight conference victory on the road, and fifth-straight conference win overall.
The Pioneers (11-4, 8-1 ECC) opened the game on a 17-2 run over the contest's first six-plus minutes of action. Senior guard
Alexis Peters (Dorchester, Mass.) started the scoring for the green and gold, hitting a jumper just 36 seconds after the opening tip. She would eventually cap the spurt by hitting two free throws at the 13:21 mark. Just over two minutes later, a
Chelsea Williams (Copiague, N.Y.) lay-up off an assist from Peters gave the Pioneers their biggest lead of the half at 16 (19-3).
The Lions (8-7, 5-3 ECC) responded, however, with a 6-0 spurt that was capped by a three from Alexia O'Connor. That pulled Molloy within nine (19-10).
Leading 23-17, LIU Post went on its own 6-0 burst that commenced with two free throws from Peters, and was closed out by a lay-up from senior forward
Shayna Gatling (Baldwin, N.Y.) at the 4:56 mark. After Alex Hampton hit a lay-up with 52 seconds remaining before halftime, senior guard
Kiki Sears (Hampton, Va.) drained a three with 26 seconds to go to give the green and gold a 39-27 lead at the break.
The Pioneers outscored the Lions, 20-10, in the paint in the opening half, and held a 9-4 advantage in points off turnovers. Sears paced LIU Post with 11 first-half points and five rebounds, while Peters chipped in nine points and four rebounds.
Gatling opened the scoring in the second half with a lay-up at the 19:16 mark, and Sears later drained another trifecta to put the Pioneers ahead, 47-29, with 17:33 to go in regulation. With 16:09 left, Peters hit a jumper to put the Pioneers back up 18 (49-31).
After Peters hit two free throws to put the Pioneers up 53-37 with 13:22 left, Molloy's Kelly Guerriero hit a three followed by a jumper from Kimani Jackson to pull the Lions within 11 (53-42). A lay-up from Gatling extended their green and gold's lead to 16 (61-45) before the Lions answered with four straight points to come within 12.
The Lions continued to pressure the Pioneers and even got as close as seven (75-68), but clutch foul shooting down the stretch closed out the contest for LIU Post as the green and gold came away with the 83-74 victory.
Williams finished with 23 points and five rebounds. Gatling amassed 22 points and five rebounds. Sears chipped in 14 points and six rebounds. Peters had 13 points and seven rebounds.
Head Coach
Deirdre Moore and the Pioneers return to action Saturday (Jan. 25) when they host Queens in an ECC battle at the Pratt Recreation Center in Brookville. N.Y. The opening tip is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.