The Pioneer Trail: Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015

2/24/2015 11:09:00 AM

Women's Basketball at NYIT - 5 p.m.
The LIU Post women's basketball team has already clinched a berth into the East Coast Conference Championship, as has NYIT. The Pioneers sport an 11-6 record in conference play, as does NYIT. Tonight, the Boulevard rivals meet one last time in the regular season, with the potential for there to be a third game in the 2014-15 campaign between these two squads looming on the horizon.

Both LIU Post and NYIT are coming off of difficult losses on Saturday (Feb. 21). The Pioneers (15-10, 11-6 ECC) suffered a 63-55 overtime setback to Queens at the Pratt Recreation Center. The game featured a total of 102 rebounds between the squads and a combined 51 turnovers across the three periods of play. Neither team shot particularly well in the contest, as the Knights managed a field goal percentage of ,314 (22-of-70), while the Pioneers sported a 32.2 percent (19-of-59) clip from the field. Furthermore, Queens failed to hit a three-pointer in five attempts. LIU Post was just 5-of19 (26.3 percent) from long range.

Senior guard Chelsea Williams (Copiague, N.Y.) and junior center Nyasia Davis (Rahway, N.J.) led the team with 12 points apiece. Williams was held in check for most of the game, as she shot just 2-for-16 from the field. Davis pulled down a game-high 18 rebounds for the green and gold and junior guard Quanisha Ratley (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added 11. But the Pioneers were stymied in the overtime session, scoring just four points on free throws and missing all seven shots from the perimeter.

NYIT (16-9, 11-6 ECC) has lost three straight games, a streak which is in stark contrast from the team's 12-2 start to the season. The Bears dropped an 88-77 decision in their last contest, as Molloy defended their home court with the victory. Sophomore guard Julie Williams (Smithtown, N.Y.) led the way with 23 points and eight rebounds, while fellow sophomore guard Shanice Allen (Riverhead, N.Y.) added 16 points of her own. NYIT was limited to a 30.0 percent (24-of-80) mark from the field and a 29.4 percent (10-of-34) clip shooting from beyond the arc. Williams was 7-for-22 in the contest and hit 5-of-14 three-pointers. Senior forward Dina Ragab (Cairo, Egypt) only scored 11 points, and she has averaged just 11 points per game in the last three contests for the Bears.

These two teams last met on Jan. 20 at the Pratt Recreation Center. LIU Post was able to cool off the Bears, handing them a 70-63 overtime loss, which was just the third loss for NYIT all season. In the contest, senior guard Ashley Castle (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored a team-high 21 points and added eight rebounds. Davis had a double-double (14 points, 16 rebounds) and defensively the green and gold held Ragab to just nine points on 3-of-19 shooting from the floor.

In the race for the playoffs, UDC has clinched a first-round bye with a 16-2 record in conference play. Roberts Wesleyan and Queens are tied for second with 13-4 marks in ECC competition. LIU Post and NYIT follow with identical 11-6 standings. St. Thomas Aquinas (8-10 ECC) and Molloy (7-10 ECC) are in a fight for the final spot in the postseason.

Men's Basketball at NYIT - 7:30 p.m.
By looking at the records and the journeys that both the LIU Post and NYIT men's basketball teams have taken this season, one would be hard-pressed to say which team will earn the higher seed come ECC Tournament time. Although neither team has clinched a playoff berth as of today, the Pioneers and Bears will look to clear up the picture when they play tonight in Old Westbury.

LIU Post (14-11, 9-8 ECC) has won two straight games, with its most recent victory coming in the form of a 62-46 effort over Queens on Saturday (Feb. 21). The Knights started the game on a 17-2 run that had the Pratt Recreation Center quiet and out of the action. But the Pioneers finished the first half on a stunning 29-3 rally that brought the crowd alive once again. The 46 points scored by Queens is the lowest point total yielded by the green and gold this season, and the win came in spite of the Pioneers' inability to hit a three-pointer (0-of-9).

Sophomore forward Greg Dotson (Abington, Pa.) had a game-high 24 points and also pulled down 10 rebounds. Dotson went 10-of-17 from the floor, with most of those points coming off of theatrical dunks and good passing by senior guard P.J. Torres (New Rochelle, N.Y.). Torres added 13 points off the bench, with an additional eight rebounds and four assists in the game. Reigning ECC Player of the Week Tyuan Williams (Newark, N.J.) scored 11 points and grabbed nine boards for the Pioneers in the win.

Meanwhile, NYIT (11-14, 8-9 ECC) is reeling after two consecutive losses last week. The Bears' most recent game proved to be costly, as the squad fell by a 75-69 score at Molloy on Saturday (Feb. 21). Senior guard Darian Hooker (Washington, D.C.) scored 21 points for NYIT, but only managed to score seven in the first 20 minutes of play. Hooker went 7-for-19 from the floor, including hitting just two three-pointers on the day. Freshman forward Fred Rivers (Boston, Mass.) added 16 off the bench for NYIT, but the team gave the ball away 14 times in the contest. Those turnovers proved costly as Molloy scored 21 points off of the giveaways.

The previous matchup in the "Battle of the Boulevard" series saw LIU Post triumph in overtime, 85-78, at the Pratt Recreation Center on Jan. 20. Williams had 24 points for the Pioneers, while Torres added 18. Junior guard Akosa Maduegbunam (Hyde Park, Mass.) pitched in 11 points on a perfect day of shooting, hitting all four of his field goals and three long-range buckets. Hooker led NYIT with a game-high 30 points, but he hit only four three-pointers on the day.

St. Thomas Aquinas (15-3 ECC) and Bridgeport (14-3 ECC) have clinched postseason berths and first-round byes thanks to their records in conference play. The fun begins at the three-seed, as LIU Post is tied with Molloy and Dowling at 9-8 in East Coast Conference action. NYIT is hanging on to the sixth-place spot, but Roberts Wesleyan (6-11 ECC) and Queens (N.Y.) (6-11 ECC) are lurking dangerously close to the Bears.