Brookville, N.Y. – The top-seeded LIU Post women's basketball team advanced to the East Coast Conference Championship title game with an 85-66 win over the fourth-seeded NYIT Bears on Thursday at the Pratt Recreation Center in Brookville, N.Y.
It was a tale of two halves for the green in gold, who held a 31-28 lead at the break, but outscored the Bears, 54-38, in the second half.
Senior forward Shayna Gatling (Baldwin, N.Y.) paced the Pioneers (22-5, 18-2 ECC) with 26 points, 16 of which came in the latter stanza. She also grabbed eight boards. It was a Gatling fast-break lay-up with 6:45 left in regulation that sparked a 6-0 burst that put the game out of reach (74-54). Later in the half, with the hosts up by 15, the green and gold went on another 6-0 spurt that extended their lead to a game-high 21 (85-64).
Junior guard Chelsea Williams (Copiague, N.Y.) poured in 21 points, doing most of her damage at the free throw line (13-of-16). Senior guard Kiki Sears (Hampton, Va.) added 15 points, while sophomore center Nyasia Davis (Rahway, N.J.) hauled in a game-high 12 rebounds. Senior guard Alexis Peters (Dorchester, Mass.) stepped up on the defensive end, coming away with four steals and seven boards.
The Pioneers will take on second-seeded UDC on Saturday (Mar. 8) at 5 p.m. in the Pratt Recreation Center in Brookville N.Y. In their last meeting, LIU Post came away with a 74-72 win at home on Feb. 6.
Provided by the LIU Post Sports Information Department.
