Men's Basketball Loses 81-77 Overtime Contest to Post in Home Opener
Box Score BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Nov. 21, 2015) - The LIU Post men's basketball team dropped a nailbiting 81-77 overtime decision to Post University in the 2015 LIU Post Thanksgiving Classic Saturday afternoon at the Pratt Recreation Center.
Despite trailing by as many as 14 points late in the opening session, the Pioneers (2-1) closed the gap to 35-28 at the break. The green and gold rounded out the half on a 7-0 run, capped by a two-handed dunk from sophomore forward
Hunter Powell (Tustin, Mich.).
LIU Post came out strong in the latter period, opening the half on an 11-2 run to grab a 39-37 lead with 13:05 remaining. Junior forward
Greg Dotson (Abington, Pa.) bookended the streak with a three-point play and a trey. Senior guard
Devon McMillan (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added a lay-up on the fast break.
From there, the two squads exchanged 10 tied scores and two lead changes over the next nine-plus minutes. That was until a
Dillon Burns (Staten Island, N.Y.) three-pointer and a
Jared Hall (South Orange, N.J.) lay-up put the Pioneers ahead 65-60 with 2:38 to go.
However, in the final seconds of regulation, the Eagles (2-2), who trailed 66-63, got a game-tying trifecta from senior guard Brandt Voiles (Byron, Ill.) as time expired to send the contest into overtime.
In the extra session, Post's Jah'sheme Ringgold (Easton, Md.) and Isaiah Kemp (Astoria, N.Y.) combined for three makes from downtown to stake their team to a 77-73 cushion.
The Pioneers rallied to even the game up at 77-all though at the 35-second mark, on a pair of free throws and a put-back lay-up by junior forward
Barrington Alston (Wilmington, Del.).
The Eagles subsequently re-gained the lead on a Joseph Lockwood (London, England) jumper, but, this time, LIU Post did not have an answer. Following a Pioneer timeout, a go-ahead three-point attempt by Hall missed the mark.
McMillan and Hall led the LIU Post offense with 14 points apiece. Hall also puiled down eight rebounds, while McMillan dished out three assists and swiped two steals. Alston collected 11 points and five rebounds. Dotson amassed 10 points and eight boards. Burns and senior guard
Akosa Maduegbunam (Hyde Park, Mass.) each chipped in eight points off the bench. Powell scored six points and grabbed four rebounds.
The Pioneers nearly doubled up the Eagles in points in the paint (40-24) and owned a 21-4 advantage in second-chance opportunities. Additionally, LIU Post shut out Post in fast-break points by a 13-0 count.
Head Coach
Erik Smiles and the Pioneers wrap up their 2015 Thanksgiving Classic on Sunday (Nov. 22), when they face Concordia College in a non-conference tilt at the Pratt Recreation Center. Tip-off is set for 3:15 p.m.