BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (February 22, 2011) – With only two games remaining in the regular season for both basketball teams, playoff positions could be locked up in Wednesday's doubleheader against Queens. Adding to the security of playoff positions, both Pioneer clubs will be looking to sweep the season series against each Knight team. 

 

The Pioneer women's basketball team is currently sitting in fourth place in the ECC, one game ahead of Queens, after dropping a thrilling game to first place leading St. Thomas Aquinas this past Saturday, 69-71. A last second lay-up by standout Brianna Sloper clinched the two-point victory for the Spartans. The Pioneers were unable to hold onto a 12 point halftime advantage. Janea Aiken (St. Albans, N.Y.) led the effort with 17 points and five assists.   

 

Aiken once again finds herself fourth in the league in scoring entering the week, averaging 16.6 points a game. The Pioneers are also controlling the glass in the conference, holding a +3.1 rebounding margin against opponents per game. Alyssa Lombardi (New Fairfield, Conn.) leads the way for the Pioneers, ranking third in the conference with 8.4 boards a game. Nicolette Marciniak (Brooklyn, N.Y.) has quietly had a strong sophomore year for C.W. Post, shooting a second-best in the conference 46.2 percent from the field while also averaging 1.00 blocks per game, fifth in the conference. 

 

The Queens women's basketball squad is also coming a loss the last time out, dropping 67-59 at Bridgeport. The Knights sit one game behind the Pioneers in the ECC standings, sitting at 9-10 in the conference with a 10-16 overall mark. On the year, Queens is averaging the second best scoring mark in the conference at 64.9 points a game while also shooting 33.4 percent from beyond the arc, which is the best percentage in the conference. The area of concern for the Knights has come on the boards, as the squad has averaged a -11.8 rebounding margin per game against teams, the worst margin in the conference. 

 

A large part of the Knights' success has come on the shoulders of Junior Amanda Bartlett. Bartlett not only leads the ECC in scoring at 20.5 points per game, but she also ranks sixth in the nation among Division II players. She is shooting 85.2 percent from the charity stripe and is hitting 2.92, threes per game to put both marks in first for the conference. 

 

Christine Harnishfeger is having a strong senior campaign for the Knights, controlling and running the offense. The guard from Woodside is averaging a fourth best in the conference in assists with 3.54 a game. Harnishfeger is also only behind Bartlett in free throw percentage in the conference, shooting 81.9 percent from the line.

 

C.W. Post has taken the two previous match-ups between the Pioneers and Knights on the season. The first meeting took place on the campus of C.W. Post on January 8, with the Pioneers running away with an 82-46 victory. The Pioneers held a 40-18 lead at the half, while controlling the boards throughout the game, with a 57-30 difference over the Knights. Felicia Joyner (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) led the way with 17 points and five rebounds, with Aiken contributing 13 points and eight rebounds to the effort. 

 

The January 29 game at Queens was more tightly contested game with the Pioneers pulling out a 76-67 victory. Joyner once again led the scoring, with a season-high 25 points. C.W. Post once again controlled the glass, outrebounding the Knights 51-30 with Lombardi pulling down 11 rebounds herself. Harnishfeger and Bartlett combined for 36 for the Knights.

 

The Pioneer men still control the fate of the number one seed in the ECC, with a match-up against Queens looming in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader. C.W. Post currently sits at 19-7 overall on the year with a 16-3 conference mark that ties Bridgeport for first. The Pioneers are also the only ECC team in the NCAA East Region Poll, ranking seventh in the latest release.

 

The squad is coming off a convincing win against St. Thomas Aquinas this past Saturday, 82-61. Stefan Bonneau (Middletown, N.Y.) led the way with 27 points for the Pioneers. C.W. Post was able to outrebound the Spartans 41-24 during the game and score 15 second choice points. The team also converted on 10 shots from beyond the arc, making 52.6 percent of the three-pointers taken. 

 

Being the leading scoring team in the conference at 80.5 points per game, the Pioneer have been able to also establish a squad that shoots with efficiency from the field. C.W. Post is leading the conference in free throw percentage (74.6 percent), field goal percentage (46.7 percent), and three point field goal percentage (39.1 percent). 

 

The Pioneers have been led on the offensive end by Bonneau, who is averaging a conference best 18.9 points per game. Bonneau is not only among the ranks in the conference, but also the nation. His 44.9 percent shooting from three-point range is ninth in the nation and the 90.2 percent shooting from the free throw line is tenth in the nation among Division II players. 

 

Backcourt mate Gilbert Montalvo (Astoria, N.Y.) is also finding his name in the top statistical areas in the nation. Leading the conference with 5.92 assists per game, the senior point guard puts that average into the eighth slot in the nation. Montalvo also ranks fifth in the nation with a 3.28 assist-per-turnover ratio. 

 

The Knights of Queens have locked up the third spot in the conference, dropping to 14-5 in the conference with a 17-7 overall mark after losing 98-67 to Bridgeport this past Saturday. 

 

The Knights have credited much of the success experienced to the defensive side of the ball. Queens leads the conference in opponent shooting percentage from both the field overall and also beyond the arc. The defense holds teams to 40.9 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from beyond the arc. The team also leads the conference in rebounding. The Knights' +6.2 rebounding margin is first in the conference, helping secure many victories.

 

Junior Khalil McDonald is becoming one of the more standout players in the conference, putting many of his numbers atop of the conference. The junior leads his team and ranks seventh in points per game with 14.0. McDonald also leads his team and the conference in both rebounds at 6.8 per game and blocks with 1.08 per game. 

 

Anderson Labase and Edil Lacayo also are contributing to the successful year for the Knights. Labase is using his senior leadership to help put him second in the conference with 4.67 assists per game. Lacayo is second himself in a conference category, knocking down 2.33 shots per game from beyond the arc. 

 

The first meeting on the year between these two teams came back on January 8 at the Pratt Recreation Center, with C.W. Post pulling out a thrilling 98-96, double overtime victory. Bonneau poured in a career-high 39 points on the day, including going 10-10 from the free throw line. Montalvo established a double-double with 10 points and 11 assists, adding six steals as well. The Pioneers used an 8-2 run to start the second overtime, helping secure the win in the end. Akim Neverson led the Knights with 19 points and 13 rebounds, with Labase also tallying 19 points to go with nine assists. 

 

The second game took place at Queens on January 29, with the regular forty minutes only needed this time around as the Pioneers pulled out a 79-70 win in a game that saw 15 lead changes over the course of both halves. Bonneau again led the way with 28 points. As a team, the Pioneers went 21-26 from the free throw line and outscored the Knights 47-38 in the second half. McDonald contributed 20 points and eight rebounds for the Knights. 

 

The women will get underway at 5 p.m. in the Pratt Recreation Center, with the men to follow around 7 p.m. Both Pioneer teams will be looking for the season-series sweep against the Knights.