Men's Basketball Ousted From ECC Tourney By STAC, 64-62
Box Score
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Mar. 5, 2014) - Despite erasing a 12-point second-half deficit, the fourth-seeded LIU Post men's basketball team fell to fifth-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas, 64-62, in an East Coast Conference Championship quarterfinal tilt at the Pratt Recreation Center in Brookville, N.Y.
The Pioneers, who cap off the year at 17-12 overall, missed 10 free throws in the latter stanza, but still had a chance to win it at the buzzer. Off an inbound from the baseline, sophomore guard
Dillon Burns (Staten Island, N.Y.) missed a three-point attempt from the wing. Junior forward
Tyuan Williams (Newark, N.J.) would have had a game-tying put-back lay-up, but the clock had already expired.
The second half was certainly a period to remember though. Ahead 35-34 five-and-a-half minutes into the session, the visitors went on an 11-0 run over a quick two-minute stint to grab its largest lead of the contest (46-34). Jonathan McNair (North East Washington, D.C.) accounted for eight of the points. Marcus Henderson (Newburgh, N.Y.) sandwiched the burst with a three.
Now staring at a double-digit deficit, LIU Post staged a furious rally. The hosts out-scored their opposition by a 20-8 count over the next five-plus minutes to even the score at 54-all. Junior guard
P.J. Torres (New Rochelle, N.Y.) had 10 of his game-high 19 points in that stretch. Senior forward
Vaughn Allen (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) tied up the match with a 1-of-2 trip to the stripe at the 6:30 mark.
From there, the Pioneers were twice able to re-tie the game, but never could grab the lead. Meanwhile, STAC (14-13), which escaped Burns' late scare, made four of their final six tries from the foul line in the last 4:34, and eventually squeaked its way into a semifinal match-up at top-seeded Dowling on Friday.
Torres grabbed six rebounds and swiped three steals in addition to his 19-point performance. Williams grabbed a game-best 13 boards, and poured in nine points. Allen checked in nine points, nine rebounds, three steals and two assists. Freshman guard
Jared Hall (South Orange, N.J.) pitched in eight points. Burns dished out four assists in 25 minutes of action.
For more information on the LIU Post men's basketball team, please continue to visit www.LIUPostPioneers.com.