Women's Basketball's Comeback Bid Falls Short at NYIT

1/12/2016 7:14:00 PM

Box Score

OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (Jan. 12, 2016) - In the first installment of the Battle of the Boulevard in 2015-16, the LIU Post women's basketball team fell to New York Institute of Technology, 70-67, in East Coast Conference action at Recreation Hall in Old Westbury.

The Pioneers (2-13, 2-5 ECC) took control early, as senior guard Jalyn Brown (Riverhead, N.Y.) and freshman guard Shannon Doyle (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the visitors a quick 6-0 lead. LIU Post led by as many as nine points (11-2) and took an 18-12 advantage into the first intermission.

The Bears (12-5, 7-0 ECC) opened the second quarter on an 11-2 burst to go up by one possession (23-20) with 3:45 to go. Brown then tied it up at 23-all after hitting a free throw and a jumper.

After NYIT re-took a three-point lead (26-23) with just under three minutes to go before the break, the Pioneers closed the quarter on a 10-5 run to bring a 33-31 lead into halftime. Freshman guard Kyla Formey (Brooklyn, N.Y.) accounted for six of the 10 points with two three-pointers. Seniors Khea Gibbs (Norwalk, Conn.) and Kalinka DeRoche (New Haven, Conn.) chipped in a basket each.

NYIT started the third quarter with nine unanswered points to take a 40-33 lead with 4:19 to go. The Pioneers would fight back and tie it up at 42-all, when junior Melsha Messam (St. Albans, N.Y.) hit a pair of free throws with 1:47 on the clock, but the Bears brought a 46-44 lead into the fourth quarter.

Throughout most of the fourth quarter, the Pioneers remained within striking distance and got within one point (68-67), when senior Nyasia Davis (Rahway, N.J.) hit a lay-up with 17 seconds to go, before the Bears hit a pair of free throws to make it a three-point game. With time winding down, junior Janaysia James' (Perth Amboy, N.J.) last-second shot was off target.

Davis (16), Doyle (15), Brown (11), and Formey (11) all finished in double figures. Doyle also brought down six rebounds, while DeRoche hauled in 12 rebounds, scored six points and dished out four assists.

Head Coach Deirdre Moore and the Pioneers return to action on Friday (Jan. 15), when they host Daemen College in an ECC battle in Brookville. The opening tip is slated for 5 p.m.