Gatling, Peters Lead Women's Basketball Over Daemen, 97-66
Box Score
AMHERST, N.Y. (Jan. 31, 2014) - The LIU Post women's basketball team got back to its winning ways Friday, as the Pioneers beat East Coast Conference foe Daemen, 97-66, at Lumsden Gymnasium in Amherst, N.Y.
The green and gold were led by senior forward
Shayna Gatling (Baldwin, N.Y.),
sophomore guard
Quanisha Ratley (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and junior guard
Chelsea Williams (Copiague, N.Y.), who finished with 25, 24 and 20 points, respectively. Ratley's 24 are a new career-best for the Brooklyn, N.Y. native. Senior guard
Alexis Peters (Dorchester Mass.) added 15 points and 10 assists for her first double-double of the season.
The Pioneers (13-5, 9-2 ECC) got off to a slow start and found themselves trailing by 10 after Daemen's Lindsay Stoddard hit two free throws to make it 18-8 with 12:17 to go in the opening stanza. Over the half's final 11-plus minutes, LIU Post would go on a 32-10 run to give themselves a 40-28 halftime cushion. During the outburst, Ratley led the way with 16 points, going a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and 4-for-4 from three-point land.
The second half was all LIU Post, as the green and gold scored the period's first four points to open up a 44-28 lead less than a minute into action. At the 11:10 mark, Gatling's lay-up sparked a run that put the game away for the visitors. The Pioneers went on their second monster streak of the contest, this time a 29-10 spurt that extended their advantage to 88-54. Williams paced the Pioneers with 14 points during the run, while Gatling chipped in 10.
LIU Post coasted to the finish, sweeping the regular-season series with Daemen, and are now 2-0 in games when they score 90 or more points.
In addition to her game-high 25 points, Gatling also added 14 rebounds for her second double-double of the year. Williams chipped in nine rebounds to her 20-point effort.
Head Coach
Deirdre Moore and the Pioneers are back in action on Sunday (Feb. 2), when they wrap up a three-game road trip at Roberts Wesleyan in Rochester, N.Y. The opening tip is slated for 2 p.m.