Men's Basketball Drops Tightly-Played Contest at Dowling, 71-66
Box Score
OAKDALE, N.Y. (Feb. 15, 2014) - In a game where neither squad led by more than nine points, the LIU Post men's basketball suffered a 71-66 loss to Dowling in an East Coast Conference match-up at Dowling Gymnasium in Oakdale, N.Y.
The first half featured four tied scores and three lead changes, but the Golden Lions (21-4, 15-2 ECC) held a slight advantage at the break. Trailing 27-25 with more than three minutes to go before halftime, the hosts went on a quick 8-0 spurt in a stint of 1:30 to go in front 33-27 at the 2:09 mark. Junior guard Darien Davis (Middle Island, N.Y.) had the last five points of the run.
Dowling would carry a 35-30 edge into the intermission. The Golden Lions shot 46.4 percent (13-for-28) from field-goal range in the opening session.
However, LIU Post (14-10, 9-7 ECC) opened the latter stanza on a quick 7-2 spurt to even the score at 37-up. Junior guard
Isiah Stokley (Queens, N.Y.) knocked down a trey to spark it. Junior forward
Tyuan Williams (Newark, N.J.) added a jay. Freshman guard
Jared Hall (South Orange, N.J.) netted the equalizing bucket, via a lay-up.
Shortly thereafter, Dowling, locked in a 44-apiece stalemate, outscored its opposition by a 17-8 count over a six-plus minute stretch to grab a 61-52 lead, the visiitors' largest cushion, with 4:51 remaining. Davis and senior forward Justin Alexander (Staten Island, N.Y.) bookended the streak with treys. Freshman guard Ryan Hickey (Smithtown, N.Y.) chipped in two trifectas of his own.
The Pioneers answered though, rolling off a 11-3 run to close the gap to 64-63 with 1:20 left in regulation. Sophomore guard
Dillon Burns (Staten Island, N.Y.) accounted for the spurt's first three points, all via free throws. Meanwhile, Stokley brought the visitors back within one, by way of a lay-up.
Yet, that was as close as the green and gold got, as a lay-up from Alexander on the ensuing Dowling possession, subsequently followed by two Davis free throws, sealed it.
Williams spearheaded the LIU Post offense with 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Senior forward
Vaughn Allen (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) collected a game-high 11 rebounds, alongside six points. Stokley poured in 10 points, and grabbed six boards. Sophomore guard
Akosa Maduegbunam (Hyde Park, Mass.) pitched in a nine-point, five-rebound effort off the bench. Junior forward
Charles McCann (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) racked up seven points and five boards.
Head Coach
Erik Smiles and the Pioneers are back in action Wednesday (Feb. 19), when they conclude their three-game road trip at Mercy. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.