Women's Basketball Tops So. New Hampshire, 68-54, in Season Opener

11/8/2013 7:41:00 PM

Box Score
MANCHESTER, N.H. (Nov. 8, 2013) - The LIU Post women's basketball team opened the 2013-14 season with a 64-58 win over Southern New Hampshire at the SNHU Field House in a non-conference contest Friday night in Manchester, N.H.
 
The Pioneers improved to 1-0 on the season, while the Penmen fell to 0-1.
 
Senior guard Kiki Sears (Hampton, Va.) led the Pioneers with a 19-point effort in the season opener. She shot 35.2 percent from the field and collected three rebounds, while recording two assists. Sears also led all players with six steals. Junior guard Chelsea Williams (Copiague, N.Y.) was two rebounds shy of a double-double, as she pulled down eight boards and added 16 points. Senior forward Dominique Pagan (Bronx, N.Y.) chipped in 10 rebounds and four points of her own.
 
The two teams traded buckets until the Pioneers went on a 14-3 run to take a 28-17 lead with 5:52 left in the first half. During that run, the Pioneers turned defense into offense, as Sears cashed in a lay-up off a steal from senior forward Nijah LaCourt (Bronx, N.Y.), and Pagan blocked a lay-up attempt by Amra Elezovic.
 
Minutes later, Sears came away with a steal that led to a Williams lay-up to cap the Pioneers' run.
 
The Pioneers held a 39-27 advantage going into halftime, as Sears finished with 12 first-half points, while Williams amassed nine. Peters contributed seven points and grabbed seven rebounds.
  
In the second half, the teams traded buckets, as the Penmen fought back throughout the 20-minute half. The Pioneers led 50-36 with 11:31 left in the second half when the Penmen went on a run of their own. Southern New Hampshire outscored the Pioneers 13-3 over the following 7:15 to get within four at 53-49.
 
The Penmen never got closer, as the Pioneers closed out the final four minutes, and came away with the win, 64-58.
 
Head Coach Deirdre Moore and the Pioneers return to action tomorrow (Nov. 9), when they face Saint Anselm in Manchester, N.H. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.