Box Score

BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Mar. 7, 2015) - On Saturday, the No. 4 seed LIU Post men's basketball team saw its 2014-15 season come to an end, as it lost to top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas, 80-78, in the semifinals of the East Coast Conference Championship at the Pratt Recreation Center.

Down 18-10 just past the midway point of the first half, the Pioneers (17-13) reeled off an 18-4 run in a five-minute stretch to go ahead 28-22 at the 4:07 mark. Sophomore forward Greg Dotson (Abington, Pa.) converted a three-point play to get it going. Senior forward Charles McCann (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) capped it off with a lay-up. Senior guard Isiah Stokley (Queens, N.Y.) added a posterizing one-handed dunk on the fast break.

LIU Post soon brought a four-point lead into the locker room, as red-shirt freshman guard Aary Bibens (Bennington, Vt.) netted a lay-up with five seconds left to make it a 41-37 game.

Nearly halfway through the latter stanza, a pair of free throws by the Spartans' (21-10) Marcus Henderson (Newburgh, N.Y.) evened the score at 54-all. The Pioneers then went on a 9-0 burst in a stint of 1:58 to grab a 63-54 advantage with 10:05 to go. Sophomore guard Jared Hall (South Orange, N.J.) drilled a three-pointer from the top of the key in the streak. Stokley and junior guard Devon McMillan (Brooklyn, N.Y.) each contributed a lay-up.

The green and gold eventually built as much as a 10-point cushion (69-59) with over eight minutes remaining, before STAC started its comeback.

The Spartans, later trailing 72-63, used a 15-5 run to boost themselves out to a 78-77 lead in the dwindling seconds of regulation. The Pioneers still had every opportunity to shock the top seed in the tournament though, but a 1-for-4 showing at the line down the stretch sealed their fate.

LIU Post, which shot 50.9 percent (28-of-55) from the floor and 50.0 percent (4-of-8) from deep in the contest, had five different players reach double figures in scoring. Dotson poured in a team-high 14 points in 22 minutes off the bench. Hall and junior guard Dillon Burns (Staten Island, N.Y.) scored 13 points apiece. Stokley accumulated 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Senior forward Tyuan Williams (Newark, N.J.) collected 11 points, eight boards and two assists. McCann pitched in eight points, seven rebounds and four steals.

Head Coach Erik Smiles and the Pioneers wrapped up the 2014-15 campaign at 17-13 overall and 11-9 in ECC play. For more information on the LIU Post men's basketball program, please continue to visit LIUPostPioneers.com.