Williams' 26 Carries Women's Basketball to 61-51 Win Over Dowling

2/15/2014 4:16:00 PM

Box Score

OAKDALE, N.Y. (Feb. 15, 2014) - The LIU Post women's basketball team came away with its fifth-straight win Saturday, beating Dowling, 61-51, in an East Coast Conference tilt at Dowling Gymnasium in Oakdale, N.Y.

After Dowling (9-12, 8-8 ECC) grabbed an early 2-0 edge just 45 seconds into the game, the Pioneers (17-5, 14-2 ECC) rattled off 12 straight points to take a lead they wouldn't give up. Junior guard Chelsea Williams (Copiague, N.Y.) had seven points to pace the green and gold during the spurt.

With just over two minutes before halftime and LIU Post leading 22-18, the Pioneers went on a 10-3 run to bring a 32-21 advantage into the break. A lay-up by senior guard Alexis Peters (Dorchester, Mass.) ignited the streak. Senior forward Shayna Gatling (Baldwin, N.Y.) hit a lay-up with three ticks left on the clock to cap it.

The Pioneers turned nine Dowling miscues into 13 points in the first 20 minutes, while the LIU Post defense held the Golden Lions to just 21.9 percent shooting from the field.

Dowling started the second half on a 10-1 run, which closed the gap to two (35-31), but the visitors responded with a jay in the paint from senior center Dominique Pagan (Bronx, N.Y.) and a trey from Williams. The Golden Lions wouldn't go away quietly, as they answered with five straight points of their own to make it 38-36.

Adding to the back-and-forth action, the Pioneers rattled off a 9-0 burst to go back in front by double digits (47-36). Later in the session, the green and gold would extend their lead to a game-high 12 points after Peters hit two free throws with just over two minutes remaining (51-39).

Williams led the way with a game-high 26 points and eight rebounds in 35 minutes of action. Peters chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds. Gatling amassed 13 rebounds and nine points.

Head Coach Deirdre Moore and the Pioneers return to action on Wednesday (Feb. 19), when they travel to Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. to take on Mercy in an ECC battle. The opening tip is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.