Box Score

DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Jan. 7, 2015) - On Wednesday night, the LIU Post men's basketball team suffered an 89-84 setback to Mercy in East Coast Conference action at Mercy Gymnasium.

The Pioneers (5-7, 0-4 ECC) got out to a hot start in the game, rolling off a 10-0 run in the first 2:23. Senior guard Isiah Stokley (Queens, N.Y.) and junior guard Dillon Burns (Staten Island, N.Y.) bookended the spurt with three-pointers. Stokley also netted a lay-up on the fast break.

The Mavericks (6-4, 1-3 ECC) answered back, however, scoring 28 of the next 39 points, to grab a seven-point lead (28-21) at the halfway point of the opening session. In that stretch, Mercy rolled off a 22-6 run over a five-minute span. Junior guard/forward Jeremiah Brown (Queensbridge, N.Y.) led the way with eight points in the burst, six of which came off two three-balls.

LIU Post, which shot 47.2 percent (25-of-53) from the floor and 34.8 percent (8-of-23) from downtown in the contest, would eventually head into halftime trailing by a seven-point margin (46-39).

More than midway through the latter stanza, the green and gold fell behind by double digits at 71-60, until a 20-6 streak in a near six-minute span gave LIU Post an 80-77 edge at the 1:47 mark. Senior forward Charles McCann (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) had six points to anchor the comeback. Senior guard P.J. Torres (New Rochelle, N.Y.) and junior guard Akosa Maduegbunam (Hyde Park, Mass.) added four points apiece.

Though the Pioneers reclaimed the lead, Mercy put together a rally of its own to finish on top. A quick 8-1 response, paced by a pair of treys, put the Mavericks ahead for good.

LIU Post did manage to close the gap to 85-83 on two Burns free throws with 29 seconds left, but its opposition made all four of their attempts from the stripe down the stretch to close it out.

Senior forward Tyuan Williams (Newark, N.J.) poured in a game- and season-high 21 points in the loss. He was 5-of-9 from the floor and 11-of-13 at the line. Maduegbunam and Torres each collected 12 points and six rebounds. Burns amassed 10 points, five assists, two boards and two steals. Stokley recorded a nine-point effort. Sophomore forward Greg Dotson (Abington, Pa.) provided eight points and four rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench.

Head Coach Erik Smiles and the Pioneers return to the hardwod Saturday (Jan. 10), when they host ECC rival St. Thomas Aquinas at the Pratt Recreation Center in Brookville. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m.