BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – The Pioneers shot 40 percent from beyond the arc, but the LIU Post men's basketball team could not get past second-place Saint Thomas Aquinas College, falling to the Spartans 77-64 at the Pratt Recreation Center Feb. 17.
 
The Pioneers drop to .500 in East Coast Conference (ECC) play this season but remain in possession of the number four seed thanks to a buzzer-beat from Molloy's Nick Corbett to defeat Roberts Wesleyan College 80-78 Saturday. LIU Post continues to hold a one-game advantage over Roberts Wesleyan with two games remaining for both teams.
 
Sophomore Jared Rivers led the Pioneers with 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting, while seniors Kyle Taylor-McLeggan chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively.
 
The Green and Gold knocked down three three-point buckets during the first four minutes of action to take a 9-4 lead, but STAC quickly countered with a 28-11 burst over the next 11 minutes to take a 12-point lead, 32-20. A three-pointer just before the halftime buzzer by Chris Atkinson gave the Spartans a 43-26 lead at the break.
 
The Pioneers cut into the Spartan lead early in the half, however, scoring 10 unanswered behind seven points by Bibens to make it 49-42 with 14:09 to play. After the Spartans doubled the lead back to 14 points, LIU Post again chipped away to make it a seven-point game with 1:22 to play after back-to-back three-pointers by freshman Darien Jenkins and McLeggan, but STAC scored the final six points of the contest for the 77-64 victory.
 
The Pioneers will look to bounce back when they host third-place Daemen College on Senior Night, Friday, Feb. 23. LIU Post will honor Bibens, McLeggan, and Hunter Powell before the matchup with the Wildcats.