BROOKVILLE, N.Y. - The LIU Post women's basketball team put forth a dominating effort Saturday, Feb. 3, taking down the Mavericks of Mercy College, 78-40 inside the Pratt Recreation Center.
 
Neither team had a particularly successful day shooting, but the Green and Gold dominated in the paint and finished the afternoon 21-for-26 from the free throw line. The Pioneers held a 24-12 advantage in turnovers, and out-rebounded the Mavericks 56-37. Senior Kylie Garrett led four players in double figures with 13 points in 12 minutes of action. Junior Shannon Doyle dropped in an additional 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, adding six steals, while senior Sasha Patterson and sophomore Mikaiya added 12 and 11 points, respectively. 
 
The Pioneers dominated the glass from the opening tip, holding a 33-18 advantage on the glass, scoring 23 of their 39 points on second chance opportunities during the first half. Despite an extremely cold-start from beyond the arc, the Pioneers began the contest on an 18-2 run, forcing six Maverick turnovers during the first eight minutes. After consecutive three-pointers by Mercy, the Pioneers exploded on a 14-0 burst to take a 24-point lead, 32-8, with 6:42 remaining in the half. ?Mercy cut into the deficit slightly, but LIU Post carried a 39-20 lead into the locker room at the half.
 
The second half proved to be more of the same, as LIU Post pulled away with a 31-5 run that spanned nearly 10 minutes, leading by as many as 47 points (78-31) with six minutes remaining. The Pioneers never trailed as they improved to 11-1 in East Coast Conference play to remain atop the league standings entering the final stretch of the regular season. 
 
The Pioneers return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 7 when they host Molloy for their annual Think Pink game inside the Pratt Recreation Center beginning at 5:00 p.m.