ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Feb. 18, 2015) - Thanks to a 26-point effort from senior guard Chelsea Williams (Copiague, N.Y.), the LIU Post women's basketball team triumphed over Molloy by a score of 76-62 at Quealy Gymnasium on Wednesday.

LIU Post (15-9, 11-5 ECC) had four players score double-digit points in the wire-to-wire victory over the Lions, including Williams' game-high total. Fellow senior Ashley Castle (Brooklyn, N.Y.) pitched in 22 points. Juniors Quanisha Ratley (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Nyasia Davis (Rahway, N.J.) added 11 each for the Pioneers. Molloy (10-13, 6-10 ECC) was paced by junior forward Kimani Jackson (Dix Hills, N.Y.), who led her team with 21 points off the bench. Jackson was the only player to hit double figures for the Lions in the contest.

The action opened with LIU Post going on a 17-2 run to put the contest away before the mid-point of the first half. Ratley and Castle had five points apiece in the spurt, as the green and gold held their opponents in check in the early going. On the wrong end of the run, Molloy shot just 1-for-6 from the field and committed four turnovers, before a Jackson lay-up got Molloy going. The Lions chipped away at the margin, getting within six points with just under six minutes to play in the first half.

A quick 6-0 Pioneer response tamed the Lions' charge, as Williams and Ratley converted on perimeter shots, while junior guard Khea Gibbs (Norwalk, Conn.) sank two free throws to start the rally. LIU Post went into the halftime break up by nine points, holding a 41-32 advantage in their pockets.

The second half was a see-saw affair between the two mediums, as Molloy closed the gap only to see LIU Post pull away time and again. The Lions would get as close as three points after a three-point play from senior forward Megan Lonergan (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) made it a 50-47 game with 12 minutes to play. Just over a minute later, a three-point basket by Castle, two free throws from junior guard Jalyn Brown (Riverhead, N.Y.) and a lay-up by Williams gave the green and gold a ten-point edge. That proved to be as close as Molloy got to evening the score, as the Pioneers outscored their opponents by a 19-15 margin to claim the victory.

Williams' 26-point night was her 16th game with 20 or more points this season. She now has 1,565 career points, which moves her into third place all-time on the LIU Post career scoring list. Williams passed 2012 graduate Felicia Joyner's total of 1,563 points with a free throw in the final minute of the contest. Additionally, Davis picked up her team-leading 12th double-double of the season, as she pulled down 13 rebounds to go with her 11 points.

The Pioneers dominated Molloy in the rebounding category (45-31) and held Molloy to a 36.7 percent (22-of-60) shooting clip from the field. Junior forward Kalinka DeRoche (New Haven, Conn.) and sophomore guard Essence Casey (Huntington Station, N.Y.) combined to snag 11 rebounds, with Casey grabbing four pivotal rebounds in the second half. She was a major part of the defensive game as well, as Molloy shot just 1-of-7 (14.3 percent) from three-point range in the second half. Conversely, LIU Post shot 48.0 percent (24-of-50) from the floor and made 6-of-15 (40.0 percent) attempts from beyond the arc.

Head Coach Deirdre Moore and her LIU Post squad return to action against Queens on Saturday (Feb. 21) at 1:30 p.m. at the Pratt Recreation Center. The game, which will take place as part of Wounded Warrior Day, features a Knights' squad that currently holds second place in the conference, with LIU Post sitting in a tie for fourth just one game back.