BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Feb. 16, 2016) - On Tuesday night, the LIU Post men's basketball team raced out to a quick first-half lead, and held on for an 80-73 victory against New York Institute of Technology in East Coast Conference action at the Pratt Recrreation Center.

The Pioneers (15-10, 10-7 ECC) came out of the gate strong, opening the tilt on a 14-2 run in the first 3:58. Senior guard Akosa Maduegbunam (Hyde Park, Mass.) buried back-to-back treys to get it started. Sophomore forward Hunter Powell (Tustin, Mich.) accounted for the last five points of the spurt.

LIU Post then closed out the half on a 15-3 streak to bring a 47-24 advantage into the break. Maduegbunam poured in seven points in that stretch. Senior guard Devon McMillan (Brooklyn, N.Y.) contributed a lay-up at the buzzer.

In the opening 20 minutes of play, the green and gold dominated in the paint, outscoring the Bears, 22-8. LIU Post also outrebounded NYIT by a near 2-to-1 margin (31-17).

The Bears (3-21, 2-15 ECC) fought back in the second half, closing the gap to as few as five points (72-67) with 2:11 remaining in regulation.

However, the Pioneers got clutch free-throw shooting in the final 1:42, making all eight attempts at the line. Junior guard Jared Hall (South Orange, N.J.) was 4-for-4, while junior forward Greg Dotson (Abington, Pa.) and Maduegbunam were each 2-for-2.

Hall scored a team-high 20 points in 29 minutes off the bench. Maduegbunam totaled 17 points and seven rebounds. Dotson had 13 points and 11 boards for a double-double. Senior forward Michael Phillip (Brooklyn, N.Y.) grabbed 10 rebounds in 15 minutes of reserve duty.

Head Coach Erik Smiles and his LIU Post squad return to action Friday (Feb. 19), when they travel to Amherst for a 7:30 p.m. showdown at ECC rival Daemen College.