BROOKVILLE, N.Y. –  A furious comeback came up short for the LIU Post men's basketball team, as the Pioneers fell short to Daemen College, 61-58 on Senior Night Feb. 23.
 
Despite the loss, the Pioneers secured a berth in the East Coast Conference Tournament earlier this week and remain in fourth place after Roberts Wesleyan fell to New York Institute of Technology in overtime tonight. The Pioneers and Red Hawks will have a battle for fourth place to close out the season on Sunday. LIU Post could still finish as high as fourth place, and as low as sixth place in the final standings.
 
Trailing by eight points (60-52) with 41 seconds remaining, the Pioneers made it a two-point game after Rivers made three free throws and knocked down a triple from the right wing with 19 seconds remaining.  After the Wildcats went 1-for-2 at the free throw line, the Pioneers had a look to tie with seconds remaining but senior Kyle Taylor-McLeggan's contested three-pointer was off the mark and Daemen held on for the three-point victory.
 
Sophomore Jared Rivers finished with a game-high 24 points to lead LIU Post, hitting 8-of-17 shots and going 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Freshman Darien Jenkins chipped in nine points off the bench, while senior Aary Bibens added nine points as well. Andrew Sischo led Daemen with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting.
 
It was a tightly contested battled all evening, as both teams shot below 40 percent, and the Wildcats holding a slight +2 margin in rebounding.
 
Before the game, the Pioneers honored McLeggan, Bibens, and Hunter Power as part of the Senior Night festivities.
 
The showdown with Roberts Wesleyan is slated for Sunday, Feb. 25 at 3:30 p.m. Fans that cannot make it to Brookville can catch the action live on www.liupostpioneers.com.