Men's Basketball Stumbles at Franklin Pierce, 86-78
Box Score
RINDGE, N.H. (Dec. 31, 2016) - The LIU Post men's basketball team came up short Saturday in an 86-78 loss to Franklin Pierce University in a non-conference tilt at The Fieldhouse in Rindge.
Down 8-2 nearly four minutes into the game, the Pioneers (4-9) reeled off a 20-6 run in a four-minute spurt to take a 22-14 lead with 10:04 left. Senior forward
Greg Dotson (Abington, Pa.) sank four treys in the burst. Junior guard
Kyle McLeggan (Jersey City, N.Y.) added a three-pointer of his own.
From there, the green and gold maintained a lead for the remainder of the half and carried an eight-point advantage (45-37) into the break.
The visitors capitalized on second-chance opportunities in the first 20 minutes of play, outscoring the Ravens (8-5) by a 15-0 count. The Pioneers also shot a stellar 55.6 percent (10-of-18) from downtown in the period.
Early in the second half, LIU Post remained in front by an eight-point margin (53-45), until a 16-4 response put Franklin Pierce ahead 61-57 with 9:48 remaining.
Though the Pioneers subsequently managed to tie the game at 66-all on a
Jemal Mosley (Nanuet, N.Y.) free throw, the Ravens went back ahead for good on a pair of Donte Gittens (Hartford, Conn.) freebies at the 5:17 mark.
Four players scored in double figures for LIU Post in the loss. Dotson had a game-high 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his second double-double in as many contests. Mosley and freshman guard
Jared Rivers (Westbury, N.Y.) each finished with 13 points. Senior guard
Jared Hall (South Orange, N.J.) amassed 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Head Coach
Erik Smiles and the Pioneers return to action Wednesday (Jan. 4), when they face East Coast Conference foe University of the District of Columbia at 5 p.m. in Washington, D.C.