BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – It was the visiting Bears who came away victorious, 70-45, in the first chapter of the 2018-19 Battle of the Boulevard rivalry between the LIU Post women's basketball team and neighboring New York Institute of Technology inside the Pratt Recreation Center on Wednesday, Jan. 16.
 
Redshirt-junior Robyn Francis finished with a team-high 10 points as the lone Pioneer to tally double figures in scoring on the night. Francis netted 34 minutes off the bench, knocking down two of LIU Post's three three-point field goals to go with a career-high 11 rebounds for her first collegiate double-double. The Rosedale native also dished out a team-best six assists in her best all-around performance of the season.
 
As a team, the Green and Gold struggled from the field, shooting just 14-percent (3-for-21) from beyond the arc and just 25-percent (17-67) overall. On opposite side of the floor, NYIT converted 46-percent (25-55) of its field goal attempts, including a 50-percent (8-16) clip from three-point territory.
 
After the Bears jumped out to an early lead during the first quarter, LIU Post rallied with eight unanswered points to take a 9-7 lead with 2:35 remaining in the stanza. NYIT took control from there, however, building a double-digit lead throughout the second quarter and headed into halftime with a 37-29 advantage.
 
A 9-0 burst to begin the second half gave the Bears a 17-points lead (46-29) and the lead extended to as many as 20 points at the end of the period. The Green and Gold could not close the gap from there as the Bears improved to 6-1 in East Coast Conference play, while the Pioneers drop to 4-3.
 
LIU Post returns to the court after a week off when it hosts the University of Bridgeport for the annual Coaches vs. Cancer contest on Wednesday, Jan. 23.