BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – Sophomore Jared Rivers dropped 30 points to elevate the LIU Post men's basketball team past Roberts Wesleyan College, 86-80, securing a home playoff game during the play-in round of the East Coast Conference (ECC) Tournament.
 
With the win, the Pioneers secured the number four seed in next week's championship and will host Molloy College in the play-in round on Wednesday, Feb. 25, inside the Pratt Recreation Center.
 
Rivers finished with a game-high 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting, including 22 points during the second half. Senior Kyle Taylor-McLeggan, sophomore Kyle Doucette, and freshman Darien Jenkins scored 12 points apiece, while Doucette added 12 rebounds to notch a double-double. Gintaras Bartaskas led Roberts Wesleyan with 16 points.
 
The Pioneers shot an impressive 46 percent from the field (32-72) while holding the Redhawks to 37 percent shooting (25-67). There were just three lead changes in the game, with LIU Post ahead for over 35 minutes throughout the game. The Green and Gold were outstanding on the glass, holding a +9 advantage in the rebound column.
 
The Redhawks jumped ahead 5-0 early, but the Pioneers took the lead on a Rivers three-point basket to make it 9-7, and never looked back. The lead stretched to as many as 17 points in the first half (34-17), and the Pioneers took a 44-30 lead into the locker room at the break.
 
An 8-0 run at the beginning of the second half gave the Pioneers their largest lead at 52-32, but the Redhawks slowly chipped away, using an 18-6 run to make it a five-point game (66-61) with 7:57 remaining. A three-pointer from Brad Williams cut the deficit down to four points, but the Pioneers righted the ship and kept it a three-possession game for the next few minutes. Roberts Wesleyan again made it a four-point game with a bucket by Isaiah Lewis in the final minute, but the Pioneers held on for the six-point victory and home playoff game.
 
A full preview of the Pioneers' playoff picture will be available early this week. Tip-off for the matchup against Molloy is still to be determined. For updates on this week's playoffs, check www.liupostpioneers.com or follow along on Twitter @LiuPostPioneers or @LIUPMBB.