Queens Shocks Men's Basketball in Overtime, 79-77
Box Score
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Jan. 25, 2014) - On Saturday, the LIU Post men's basketball team dealt away a 15-point lead, and suffered a devastating 79-77 overtime defeat to Queens in an East Coast Conference tilt at the Pratt Recreation Center in Brookville, N.Y.
Down 67-59 with just over a minute to go in the contest, the Knights (3-13, 3-7 ECC) ended regulation on a 9-1 spurt to even the match at 68-apiece. Senior guard Jeremiah Mordi (Valley Stream, N.Y.) accounted for the run's first seven points. Fellow senior Patrick Parker (Queens, N.Y.) got the equalizing basket at the eight-second mark.
In the extra period, the two squads were knotted in a 76-all tie, until junior guard
P.J. Torres (New Rochelle, N.Y.) netted 1-of-2 at the stripe to grab a slight 77-76 edge. But, in the final seconds, a three-point play by Parker would seal the victory for Queens, which has now won three of its previous four games.
LIU Post (11-7, 6-4 ECC) had one last-ditch opportunity before time expired though. A
Jared Hall (South Orange, N.J.) three-ball from the wing missed the mark on the play.
During the opening stanza, the hosts rallied from an early 8-2 deficit, using a 16-2 burst over a span of 5:26 to go in front 18-10 with 10:58 remaining. Torres and senior forward
Vaughn Allen (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) sparked it with back-to-back lay-ups. Sophomore guard
Akosa Maduegbunam (Hyde Park, Mass.) capped the run with a trey.
Later on in the half, an 11-4 spurt by the green and gold extended the Pioneers' advantage to their largest of the game (38-23). Maduegbunam and junior guard
Isiah Stokley (Queens, N.Y.) bookended the streak with a trifecta apiece. Stokley knocked down three triples in the stretch.
The visitors chipped away, however, and eventually trailed 40-30 at the break. Allen led all scorers in the session with 12 points. He also grabbed four rebounds.
Allen finished with 24 points, six rebounds and two assists. He was 5-of-11 from the floor, and a perfect 14-of-14 from the stripe. Torres collected 21 points on 7-for-15 shooting, in addition to five assists, four rebounds and three steals. Stokley added 12 points and six boards. Junior forward
Charles McCann (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) recorded eight points and three rebounds. Maduegbunam chipped in a six-point effort.
Head Coach
Erik Smiles and his LIU Post squad are back at it Tuesday (Jan. 28), when they begin a three-game road trip versus next-door neighbor NYIT in Old Westbury, N.Y. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.