BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Feb. 8, 2017) - The LIU Post men's basketball team drained 15 three-pointers Wednesday in an 81-55 rout of East Coast Conference foe Mercy College at the Pratt Recreation Center.

It was the third time this season that the Pioneers (7-16, 6-7 ECC) buried 15 or more threes in a game (16 at Concordia - Nov. 19; 16 vs. American International - Dec. 3).

In the first half, the green and gold shot a sizzling 59.3 percent (16-of-27) from the field and 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from downtown, en route to taking a commanding 45-21 lead into the break.

The hosts got out to a strong start, opening the contest on a 13-3 run in the first 3:38. Senior forward Greg Dotson (Abington, Pa.), junior guard Kyle McLeggan (Jersey City, N.Y.) and freshman guard Jared Rivers (Westbury, N.Y.) each sank a trifecta in the burst.

Later in the opening stanza, the Pioneers, who never trailed in the contest, reeled off a 22-7 streak in an eight-minute stretch to expand their cushion to a 23-point difference (38-15) at the 4:03 mark.

The hosts had five different scorers in the run, led by a seven-point effort from Dotson. Senior guard Jemal Mosley (Nanuet, N.Y.) and red-shirt junior guard Aary Bibens (Bennington, Vt.) totaled five points apiece. McLeggan contributed his second trey of the evening.

The green and gold, which carried a 45-21 lead into the break, eventually built as much as a 25-point advantage (44-19) in the first half, and never looked back from there.

Dotson recorded his team-best eighth double-double (18 points, 15 rebounds) of the year. He shot 6-of-11 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 at the line. Bibens pitched in a game-high-tying 18 points with five rebounds and three assists. Mosley collected 12 points, four assists and two rebounds. McLeggan earned 11 points and two rebounds.

Freshman forward Kyle Doucette (Lynn, Mass.) had seven points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Senior guard Jared Hall (South Orange, N.J.) accumulated six points, seven assists and four rebounds. Rivers scored seven points, to go along with one rebound and one assist.

Head Coach Erik Smiles and the Pioneers return to the hardwood on Saturday (Feb. 11), when they face ECC nemesis Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester at 4 p.m.