Peters Shines in Women's Basketball's 83-72 Win at Bridgeport
Box Score
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Feb. 12, 2014) - The LIU Post women's basketball team kept rolling Wednesday night, as the Pioneers defeated Bridgeport, 83-72, in an East Coast Conference battle at Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium in Bridgeport, Conn.
The Pioneers (16-5, 13-2 ECC), who won their fourth-straight game, were led by senior guard
Alexis Peters (Dorchester, Mass.). She finished one assist shy of a triple-double, posting a 16-point, 11-rebound, nine-assist showing. Fellow senior guard
Kiki Sears (Hampton, Va.) tied a season-high with 24 points, while junior guard
Chelsea Williams (Copiague, N.Y.) posted a 22-point effort.
Peters opened the scoring for the green and gold, draining a trey just 15 seconds into the contest. The two teams would battle back-and-forth throughout the opening stanza, with no team leading by more than four at any point. As the Purple Knights led 26-24 more than halfway through the session, Sears nailed a trey off an assist from Peters to put LIU Post up by one.
Shortly thereafter, a transition lay-up by sophomore center
Nyasia Davis (Rahway, N.J.) gave the visitors a 31-27 advantage. Yet, in the closing minutes, Jenna Hoffman (15 points) knocked down a three to put Bridgeport up 38-37. Senior forward
Nijah LaCourt (Bronx, N.Y.) subsequently made 1-of-2 from the free-throw line to even the score at 38-apiece heading into the break.
The two squads came out shooting to open the second half, as Bridgeport opened up a six-point lead (49-43) just over two minutes in. That's when Sears took over. Trailing by six, the Hampton, Va. native drilled back-to-back threes to tie the score (49-49). A Peters triple soon gave the Pioneers a 52-49 edge, before Sears buried her third-consecutive trifecta to make it a 12-0 run, all coming off the three-ball.
Senior forward
Shayna Gatling (Baldwin, N.Y.) followed with a lay-up, and Williams netted two free throws to cap the 16-0 run that gave LIU Post a 58-49 edge.
The Purple Knights (6-16, 4-12 ECC) answered with an 8-0 run of their own, and would go ahead 62-61 after Latasia Ward hit a jay in the paint. However, the Pioneers responded with a 9-1 spurt to grab the lead back for good (70-63). The visitors eventually managed to widen their gap to eight, following a successful three-point play from sophomore guard
Quanisha Ratley (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
Head Coach
Deirdre Moore and her LIU Post team return to action on Saturday (Feb. 15), when they travel to Oakdale, N.Y. to take on Dowling in an ECC contest. The opening tip is scheduled for 5 p.m.