Box Score

AMHERST, N.Y. (Jan. 23, 2014) - Four players scored in double figures for the Pioneers Friday night, but it wasn't enough, as the LIU Post men's basketball team dropped a 79-74 decision to East Coast Conference foe Daemen at Lumsden Gymnasium.

Senior forward Tyuan Williams (Newark, N.J.) and senior guard P.J. Torres (New Rochelle, N.Y.) poured in a team-high 14 points each. Williams also grabbed seven rebounds, while Torres had four boards, four assists and two steals. Sophomore forward Greg Dotson (Abington, Pa.) amassed 13 points in 28 minutes off the bench. Junior guard Chris Orozco (Tenafly, N.J.) pitched in 12 points and a pair of assists.

The opening half was a see-saw affair between the two squads, as the Pioneers (8-9, 3-6 ECC) and Wildcats (13-4, 8-1 ECC) traded nine lead changes and five tied scores in the first 30 minutes. LIU Post did outscore its opposition in the paint (14-4) and off the bench (19-6) in the period, but trailed 34-31 at the break. Daemen's Jordan Greene (Fort Edward, N.Y.) hit a triple with 34 seconds left to give his team the slight edge at halftime.

In the latter session, the Pioneers retained the lead on an Orozco fast break lay-up just 1:17 in. Yet, an ensuing 10-0 run by the Wildcats in a span of 2:47 gave them a nine-point cushion (44-35) at the 15:41 mark.

The visitors fought back though. Later in the half, LIU Post was down 59-51 more than midway through, until a 13-5 burst evened the score at 64-all with 4:28 to go. Junior guard Akosa Maduegbunam (Hyde Park, Mass.), who collected nine points and five rebounds in the loss, accounted for five points in that stretch. Fellow junior guard Dillon Burns (Staten Island, N.Y.) netted the game-tying bucket, via a transition lay-up.

Despite the Pioneers' best efforts, Daemen pulled out the win in the end. The Wildcats used an 11-5 spurt to jump out to a game-clinching six-point advantage (77-71) in the final seconds of regulation.

Head Coach Erik Smiles and his LIU Post squad return to action Saturday (Jan. 24), when they square off with Roberts Wesleyan in an ECC showdown in Rochester. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.