Men's Basketball Wins Back and Forth Affair With Daemen, 93-85
Box Score
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Dec. 13, 2013) - In a game that featured 10 lead swaps and six tied scores, the LIU Post men's basketball team won its fifth in a row Friday with a 93-85 win against East Coast Conference foe Daemen at the Pratt Recreation Center in Brookville, N.Y.
Knotted at 36-all with just under five minutes left in the first half, the Pioneers scored five unanswered points in a 29-second stint to go up 41-36 at the 4:23 mark. Senior forward
Vaughn Allen (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) netted three of four from the line in the spurt. Junior guard
P.J. Torres (New Rochelle, N.Y.) contributed a dunk.
LIU Post (6-3, 3-0 ECC) would open as much as a six-point cushion (47-41) on an Allen lay-up in the final two-plus minutes, and eventually went into the break ahead by a count of 49-44. Allen had 17 points and eight rebounds to pace the green and gold in the session. Junior forward
Tyuan Williams (Newark, N.J.) added seven points and seven boards.
During the latter stanza, Daemen (4-3, 1-1 ECC) continued to trail by five (53-48), until a 16-4 streak propelled the Wildcats in front 64-57 with 12:46 remaining. Junior guard Aaron Davis (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) and junior forward Jordan Greene (Fort Edward, N.Y.)
wrapped up the burst with back-to-back three-pointers.
The Pioneers answered though, using a 12-0 run to grab a 69-64 advantage. Junior forward
Charles McCann (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) tallied four of the first six points on a pair of baskets from inside the paint. Meanwhile, Torres converted on a three-point play, and put home a lay-up to cap it off.
Later on, the visitors, behind a six-point boost, four of which came on the break, re-claimed the lead at 76-75. Yet, a Williams three-point play put the hosts back in the driver's seat just seconds later, and LIU Post never looked back from there.
Allen was key down the stretch for the Pioneers, as a pair of free throws, along with a three-point play made it an 83-77 contest with 2:00 to go. The Wildcats would close the gap to as few as two (87-85) on a pair of occasions, but quick responses by Torres silenced any opportunity of a comeback by the opposition.
Allen tied for the game-high with 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor. He also grabbed 13 rebounds for a double-double. Torres collected 22 points, five boards, five steals and four assists. Williams totaled 14 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore guard
Dillon Burns (Staten Island, N.Y.) racked up 10 points, seven assists and a pair of steals. McCann pitched in six points, three boards and two steals in 16 minutes off the bench.
Head Coach
Erik Smiles and his LIU Post squad are back at it Sunday (Dec. 15) versus Roberts Wesleyan in an ECC clash at the Pratt Recreation Center. The opening tip is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.