Brookville, N.Y. - On Wednesday, the fourth-seeded LIU Post men's basketball team claimed a thrilling 73-68 overtime victory against fifth-seeded University of Bridgeport in an East Coast Conference Championship quarterfinal at the Pratt Recreation Center.
The win sends the Pioneers to Saturday's semifinals at University of the District of Columbia, where they will face No. 1 seed St. Thomas Aquinas College at 5 p.m. The two squads split the regular-season series, with both teams winning on the road.
Trailing 59-51 with less than three minutes left in regulation, LIU Post (18-11) rallied to tie the score at 60-all with a 9-1 spurt in a short stint of 1:14. Junior forward Barrington Alston (Wilmington, Del.) knocked down a pair of baskets in the paint in the run, while junior guard Jared Hall (South Orange, N.J.) buried a game-tying three-pointer from the wing at the 1:31 mark to force overtime.
In the second half alone, the Pioneers, who made 25-of-55 (45.5 percent) field goals for the contest, shot a stellar 54.5 percent (12-of-22) from the floor and 87.5 percent (7-of-8) from the charity stripe.
LIU Post again came back in the extra session. Down 63-62 in the opening minute, the green and gold answered with an 11-2 burst to put the game away for good. Senior guard Dillon Burns (Staten Island, N.Y.) hit the early go-ahead trey to get things going. Alston followed Burns' three-ball with a monstrous two-handed dunk. Additionally, the Pioneers made 8-of-12 free-throw attempts in the overtime period,
In the first half, LIU Post jumped out to an early 13-8 advantage, behind a 9-0 run. Burns accounted for four of the first six points in that stretch. Junior forward Greg Dotson (Abington, Pa.) capped it off with a triple from the top of the key.
However, Bridgeport (15-14) chipped away at the deficit and evened the score at 26-all at the half. Senior guard Devon Elliott (Brooklyn, N.Y.) paced the Purple Knights offensively on the night with an 18-point showing.
Dotson led the Pioneers, pouring in a game-high 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting. He also led all players with nine rebounds. Hall collected 17 points, five rebounds and two assists. Burns added 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Senior guard Devon McMillan (Brooklyn, N.Y.) racked up nine points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 30 minutes off the bench. Alston pitched in seven points and seven boards.
In the regular-season set with St. Thomas Aquinas, LIU Post won a 75-66 decision in Sparkill on Dec. 19, before falling 71-58 to the Spartans on its home floor on Feb. 6.
Provided by the LIU Post Sports Information Department.
