Men's Basketball Squeezes Out 67-66 Victory at Post
Box Score
WATERBURY, Conn. (Nov. 30, 2013) - Down 66-65 with 12 ticks left in regulation, senior forward
Vaughn Allen (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) netted a go-ahead lay-up to propel the LIU Post men's basketball team to a one-point triumph versus Post Saturday at the Drubner Center in Waterbury, Conn.
The Eagles still had an opportunity to win it though on a pair of possessions in the final seconds. However, senior guard Derrick Strong (St. Louis, Mo.) missed on a lay-up, and a hail mary three, before the clock expired. Strong finished with a game-best 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the floor.
Post (1-5) did control play early in the game. Trailing 11-8 with less than 12 minutes remaining in the first half, the hosts went on a 13-0 run over a span of 2:18 to go in front by a margin of double digits (21-11) at the 9:23 mark. Senior guard Effrin Ellison (Waterbury, Conn.) sparked the burst with back-to-back threes.
But, LIU Post (3-3), which won its second-consecutive contest, fired back with a 15-6 burst in a five-minute stretch that cut the deficit to 27-26 with 3:26 remaining. Junior guard
P.J. Torres (New Rochelle, N.Y.) accounted for the streak's first eight points. Freshman guard
Jared Hall (South Orange, N.J.) added a trey.
The Eagles would eventually bring a 32-28 advantage into the break, as Strong, following the Pioneers' run, knocked down a three-pointer to put his squad up by four.
In the latter half, Strong continued his torrid start, sparking the scoring with another three-pointer to extend Post's edge to 35-28 just 34 seconds in. Yet, the visitors grabbed the lead (39-37), via an 11-2 response, at the 16:14 mark. A put-back lay-up by Allen propelled LIU Post into the driver's seat.
From there, the two teams traded seven lead changes and three tied scores, until Allen's lay-up won it for the Pioneers. Allen and Torres registered 12 points apiece. Allen also pulled down seven rebounds, while Torres amassed five boards and five assists. Sophomore guard
Akosa Maduegbunam (Hyde Park, Mass.) netted 15 points to pace the green and gold.
Junior forward
Tyuan Williams (Newark, N.J.) totaled seven rebounds and six points. Fellow junior forward
Charles McCann (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) chipped in nine boards and six points. Hall added six rebounds and three points in 14 minutes off the bench.
Head Coach
Erik Smiles and his LIU Post squad are back in action Tuesday (Dec. 3), when they face NYIT in their 2013-14 East Coast Conference opener at the Pratt Recreation Center in Brookville, N.Y. The opening tip is set for 7:30 p.m.