Men's Basketball Suffers 71-58 Setback to STAC
Box Score BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Feb. 6, 2016) - Despite having three players score in double figures, the LIU Post men's basketball team lost 71-58 to East Coast Conference rival St. Thomas Aquinas College Saturday at the Pratt Recreation Center.
Trailing 5-3 three-plus minutes into the first half, the Pioneers (13-9, 8-6 ECC) used an 11-0 run to grab a 14-5 advantage with 13:42 remaining. Senior guard
Dillon Burns (Staten Island, N.Y.) bookended the spurt with three-balls. Junior guard
Jared Hall (South Orange, N.J.) added a trifecta of his own. For the contest, LIU Post shot an impressive 72.7 percent (8-of-11) from beyond the arc.
However, the Spartans (18-4, 12-2 ECC) responded with a 17-5 burst to re-gain the lead (22-19) at the 6:28 mark.The visitors showcased the deep ball in that stretch, as STAC buried five three-pointers, including back-to-back treys by junior guard Chaz Watler (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
The opening 20 minutes of play, which had five lead changes and three tied scores, would feature two more lead swaps, before the Spartans brought a three-point edge (30-27) into the break.
Early into the second half, the Pioneers quickly tied the contest on Burns' third three-pointer of the afternoon, making it a 32-32 game with 18:28 left.
STAC then came out in a flourish, outscoring LIU Post 17-4 over the ensuing five minutes to open up a double-digit lead (49-36). Five different players knocked down shots for the visitors in the streak.
That proved to be all the Spartans needed, as the Pioneers only came as close as eight points (51-43) the rest of the way.
Junior forward
Greg Dotson (Abington, Pa.) paced all LIU Post scorers wih 18 points. He was 7-of-12 from the floor. Hall amassed 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Burns added 11 points, five assists and three steals.
Head Coach
Erik Smiles and the Pioneers will look to get back on track Wednesday (Feb. 10), when they face Molloy College in an ECC tilt at 7:30 p.m. at the Pratt Recreation Center.