BALTIMORE, Md. – The women's basketball season officially tipped off on Saturday, Oct. 27 as the LIU Post Pioneers came up just short at Coppin State, 84-80, in an exhibition matchup against the Division I opponent at PEC Arena.
 
Senior Sasha Patterson led the Pioneers with an outstanding 24-point effort, finishing 9-of-11 from the field while also hauling in nine rebounds and adding four steals. Fellow senior Shannon Doyle finished with 13 points as one of five players in double figures for LIU Post. Junior Dominique Williams chipped in 12 points and redshirt-junior Taylah Hudson and junior Robyn Francis added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Francis pulled down 11 rebounds for a double-double.
 
Roberts Wesleyan transfer Brooke Fields was one of two 20-point scorers for the Lady Eagles, dropping 29 points on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Chance Graham added 21 points and 15 rebounds for a double-double for Coppin State.
 
The Pioneers jumped out to an early 10-point lead during the first quarter (21-11) with just over three minutes remaining before the Eagles chipped away at the deficit with an 8-0 run to make it 21-19. The run was eventually capped off with a Graham layup to give the Eagles a 24-23 lead. Despite falling behind 31-26, the Pioneers made it a two-point game before Coppin State pulled away for a 42-32 lead at the half.
 
A 10-2 burst to begin the second half gave Coppin State its largest lead of the afternoon at 18 points (52-34). LIU Post clawed back midway through the stanza, though the Eagles extended the lead back to 11 points (66-55) entering the fourth quarter.
 
LIU Post charged back during the final quarter, using an 18-4 run to take its first lead since the opening quarter (73-72) with three minutes to play. A layup by Oluwadamilol Oloyede coupled with a three-pointer by Fields gave the Eagles a 77-73 lead with two minutes to play. Three free throws by Graham over the next two possessions extended the lead to seven points and put the contest out of reach for good. A three-point play by Patterson with 20 seconds on the clock gave the Pioneers life, but the Eagles knocked down a pair of free throws to hold off the Green and Gold.
 
The Pioneers open the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 10 when they take on Pace University at Adelphi University's Center for Recreation and Sport.