Men's Basketball Snaps a Three-Game Skid With 74-72 Victory Over Merrimack
Box Score NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (November 25, 2012) - Senior guard
Tobin Carberry (Hamden, Conn.)hit two free throws with six seconds in regulation to seal the victory for the Pioneers, as led all scorers with 21 points, and freshman guard
Dillon Burns (Staten Island, N.Y.) added a spark with 17 points off the bench as the LIU Post men's basketball team earned a 74-72 come from behind victory over the Merrimack College Warriors on Sunday afternoon on Hammel Court.
The Pioneers halt a three-game skid and earn their first victory of the season, improving to 1-3 overall. Merrimack loses its fourth straight as it drops to 2-4.
Carberry's two free throws came after a strong Pioneer defensive effort forced a Merrimack turnover with 11 seconds left and Burns came up with the steal.
With just 58 seconds remaining in the contest, freshman
Emile Blackman (Dix Hills, N.Y.) grabbed an offensive rebound and sank the putback to tie the contest at 72 apiece.
The Pioneers trailed by ten points with exactly five minutes remaining as they engineered the comeback victory starting with a jumper by Burns to cut the lead to eight, 72-64.
A Carberry free throw, a dunk by sophomore
Tyuan Williams (Newark, N.J.) and a Burns free throw but the lead to four, as the Pioneers trailed 72-68 with 3:31 to play. After a scoreless minute, Carberry sank two free throws to cut lead the lead 72-70, setting the stage for Blackman's tying bucket.
Merrimack scored the opening basket and went on a quick 14-4 run to build a double-digit lead over the visitors just 14:27 into the contest. But the Pioneers grinded their way back, making a few more baskets during a stretch in which both teams struggled with turnovers and neither shot particularly well. Slowly, the deficit was whittled down and with 7:12, the Pioneers made it a one-point game after Williams hit a layup.
The visitors were able to tie the game at 25-all with 6:33 to play after a layup by junior
Vaughn Allen (Mount Vernon, N.Y.), only to watch the Warriors outscore the Pioneers 19-9 over the last six minutes and change of the half to take a 44-34 lead into halftime.
Merrimack kept the Pioneers at arms' length for the bulk of the second half, until the five minute mark when the Pioneers began their late-game spurt for the victory.
JT Strickland paced four Warriors in double figures, scoring 19 points. Kevin Regan flirted with a triple-double as he scored 12 points, grabbed nine boards and added eight assists, while Tyler Young alsoc scored 12 points. Gelvis Solano chipped in with 10 points.
Carberry's game-high 21 points came off 6-13 shooting from the floor as well as a strong 9-11 effort from the line. Burns did most of his damage from long range, hitting 4-7 three points attempts and handing out a team-high seven assists. Williams chipped in with 10 points.
Merrimack held a 33-27 edge on the glass, and shot 48.4% for the game (30-62), while the Pioneers finished 27-50, good for 54% from the floor.