VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
SHANNON DOYLE INTERVIEW

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Saint Thomas Aquinas College battled back to erase a 14-point LIU Post halftime lead, but the Pioneer women's basketball team took down the top-seeded Spartans by a 79-73 final on Saturday, March 9 at the Harvey Hubble Gymnasium to advance to Sunday's East Coast Conference championship for the first time since the 2013-14 season.
 
It was a red-hot start for the Pioneers who shot 50-percent (9-18) from the field during the opening 10 minutes, including a 3-for-6 (.500) effort from beyond the arc. The Green and Gold poured in 25 points during the opening quarter while forcing seven Spartan turnovers to take a seven-point lead (25-18) into the first break.
 
The hot shooting continued throughout the first half as the Pioneers entered the locker room with a 47.4-percent (18-37) clip from the field. Nine different players scored for the Pioneers, led by a team-high 10 points from redshirt-junior Taylah Hudson, giving LIU Post a 45-31 advantage at the half.
 
Saint Thomas Aquinas stormed back during the third quarter, however, outscoring LIU Post 25-18 behind 50-percent (8-16) shooting. The Spartans took their first lead at the 3:45 mark of the period when Ruth Adams banked in a layup to give Saint Thomas Aquinas a 53-51 edge. The lead stretched to as many as four points during the frame, but the Pioneers battled back to take a one-point lead (60-59) with 10 minutes to play.
 
The fourth quarter featured one tie and two lead changes. After falling behind by three points (63-60) with 6:44 to play, senior Shannon Doyle hit a three-pointer to level the scoring. Redshirt-junior Robyn Francis found the bottom of the twine with a three-pointer moments later and Doyle knocked down another triple from the top of the key to give LIU Post a four-point advantage (74-70) with 63 seconds to play, a lead that would be too much for the Spartans to overcome. The Green and Gold went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line during the final minute to ice the victory and earn a spot in the championship contest.
 
Doyle finished with a game-high 18 points off the bench on 6-of-11 (.545), while also knocking down 3-of-6 (.500) attempts from beyond the arc. Three other Pioneers finished in double figures, including Francis (16), graduate student Sasha Patterson (11), and redshirt-junior Taylah Hudson (10). Freshman Ja'Lyn Armstrong added eight points and eight rebounds in just 16 minutes off the bench.
 
LIU Post will advance to play the winner of No. 2 seed Daemen College and No. 3 seed New York Institute of Technology tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. for the ECC Championship.