Brookville, N.Y. – The fourth-seeded LIU
Post women’s basketball team lead wire-to-wire as they
dispatched the fifth-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas College Spartans on
Wednesday evening in East Coast Conference tournament action,
67-56.
The win advances the Pioneers to Friday evening’s semifinal
contest against top-seeded Dowling at 6 p.m. in Oakdale, N.Y.
LIU Post improves to 19-8 on the season while St. Thomas Aquinas
wraps up its 2012-13 campaign with a 13-16 record.
The Pioneers wasted no time in getting ahead early, as a 4-0 lead
quickly turned into a 13-2 advantage with just five minutes
passed.
They lead increased to 23-8 as the Pioneers shot well and played
stifling defense in keeping the Spartans at bay. By halftime,
the Pioneers held a 36-21 lead behind 10 points from senior
Samantha Kopp (Franklinville, N.Y.).
In the second half, the Pioneers increased their lead to as many as
20 points (50-30) at the 12:32 mark. The Spartans did make a
bit of a run late, cutting the lead down to 12 points with a 7-0
run that made the score 60-4 with 3:48 remaining. But the
Pioneers hit several key shots late to seal the deal, including a
jumper by Kopp at 3:15 that pushed the lead back to 14 and
effectively finished off any comeback attempt by St. Thomas
Aquinas.
Game totals saw the Pioneers with a 41-29 edge on the glass as well
as a 45.8% from the floor (27-59) including seven threes.
Neither team visited the line very often as the hosts were 6-7 and
the Spartans were 10-12. A 7-17 margin from long range for
the Pioneers was also superior to a 2-18 mark for the Spartans.
Kopp led all scorers with 17 points, while senior Nicolette
Marciniak (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was solid with a 13-point, 13-rebound
evening. Junior Alexis Peters (Dorchester, Mass.) chipped in
with 12 points.
St. Thomas Aquinas was led by 14 points off the bench from Sabrina
Eggink and 13 from Briana Cook, while Shpresa Liharevic scored
12.
Provided by the LIU Post Sports Information Department.
