The Pioneer Trail: Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014
Men's Basketball vs. No. 2 Southern Connecticut - 7:30 p.m.The LIU Post men's basketball team welcomes in nationally-ranked Southern Connecticut for a Tuesday night showdown at the Pratt Recreation Center.
The Pioneers (3-4, 0-2 ECC) will look for the upset in an attempt to snap a two-game losing streak. The green and gold were bested by Dowling on Saturday (Dec. 6), 62-57. Leading LIU Post was sophomore forward
Greg Dotson (Abington, Pa.), who posted a double-double off the bench with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Dotson's performance was accompanied by a 15-point, 12-rebound outing from senior guard
P.J. Torres (New Rochelle, N.Y.). The pair combined to shoot 14-for-27 from the field in the loss.
Southern Connecticut (7-1, 3-1 NE-10) saw its seven-game winning streak snapped at home in their last outing. The Owls fell to AIC in a 100-92 shootout that included 11 ties and 12 lead changes. Senior guard Luke Houston (Pearl River, N.Y.) topped the scoring category with 31 points, while making 10 field goals in 17 shot attempts. Sophomore guard Michael Mallory (Waterbury, Conn.) poured in 16 points for the Owls, but made just two three-pointers in 10 attempts.
Heading into tonight's contest, Mallory is the team leader with 20.5 points per game. Four other players are averaging double figures for Southern Connecticut, as well. The Owls presently boast the third-highest scoring clip in the country, averaging just under 100 points per contest. Meanwhile, LIU Post has shown solid work in defending the three-point shot this season, as the Pioneers rank 25th in holding opponents to a 39.2 percent mark from behind the arc.
Despite the local ties, this will be the first time in almost seven years that the LIU Post men's basketball team will face Southern Connecticut. The last meeting came on Dec. 22, 2006, and the Pioneers left New Haven, Conn. with a 56-48 victory over the Owls.