Gatling's Double-Double Leads Women's Basketball Over STAC, 71-58

2/22/2014 5:39:00 PM

Box Score

BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Feb. 22, 2014) - The LIU Post women's basketball team matched its longest winning streak of the season on Saturday as the Pioneers topped St. Thomas Aquinas, 71-58, in an East Coast Conference tilt at the Pratt Recreation Center in Brookville, N.Y. for its seventh-straight win.
 
The Pioneers (19-5, 16-2 ECC) broke a 2-2 tie just over a minute after the opening tip when sophomore center Nyasia Davis (Rahway, N.J) hit a lay-up to give the hosts a lead they would hold onto for the duration of the contest. Later in the half, with LIU Post leading 19-17, the hosts went on an 8-0 spurt to widen their cushion to 10 (27-17). Senior guard Alexis Peters (Dorchester, Mass.) drilled back-to-back threes in the streak. Sophomore guard Quanisha Ratley (Bronx, N.Y.) opened the burst with two free throws.
 
With the green and gold ahead 32-26 with 2:43 left before halftime, the Pioneers ended the half on a 7-0 run to give themselves a 39-26 advantage at the break. Junior guard Chelsea Williams (Copiague, N.Y) paced the green and gold with nine first-half points and five rebounds, while senior forward Shayna Gatling (Baldwin, N.Y.) chipped in six points to go along with three boards.
 
The Pioneers dominated down low, out-rebounding the Spartans, 27-15, and led 17-7 in second-chance points.
 
The teams traded buckets in the second half, but with the Pioneers up 55-48 with 8:07 left in regulation, a pair of free throws from Peters and senior forward Nijah LaCourt (Bronx, N.Y.), followed by a lay-up from LaCourt sealed the win.
 
Gatling led all players with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Williams added 15 points and six boards. Peters chipped in 11 points in 39 minutes of action.
 
Head Coach Deirdre Moore and the Pioneers return to action on Wednesday (Feb. 26), when they host Molloy in the regular season home finale at the Pratt Recreation Center in Brookville, N.Y. The game will be played in conjunction with the Coaches vs. Cancer program. The opening tip is slated for 5:30 p.m.