By Mikey Domagala and Myles Goldman
On Wednesday, Feb. 7, the LIU Post women’s basketball team went up against Molloy College at home, with the team wearing pink socks for their Think Pink game for breast cancer awareness.
This game was also the Pioneers’ second and final game against Molloy College for the season; their first matchup against Molloy was a victory, with the Pioneers limiting Molloy to only 52 points. The Pioneers enjoyed another victory against Molloy.
The first half of the game was all Green and Gold, as the Pioneers were ahead of Molloy College with a score of 30-19, with 10 points coming from sophomore forward, broadcasting major, Mikaiya Moore, who also held her own on defense by blocking three shots.
Sophomore guard, physical education major and health minor, Taylah Hudson also put up some numbers on the scoring sheet by draining 12 points and causing five steals.
While the first half was strong for the Pioneers, the second half was not. In the fourth quarter, Molloy College posted 23 points on the board and the Pioneers only put up 12. However, with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter, following a layup by Molloy College, senior guard, broadcasting major and journalism minor, Kylie Garret was able to keep calm at the free throw line, making four free throws on four attempts, which ended the game with a score of 60-55 in favor of the Pioneers.
The team won its third straight game and improved its record to 18-6 overall and 13-1 in conference play with a 85-65 victory at Queens College three days later, on Feb. 10.
Senior political science major Sasha Patterson led the Pioneers with 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double in her last five games. Moore did it all in the win, as she scored 18 points along with eight rebounds and five assists.
Sophomore health science major Dominique Williams was the third Pioneer to record 10 or more points against Queens College, with 12 points of her own.
The Pioneers kept their momentum the entire way, opening the game with the lead and finishing their 85-65 win without falling behind.
At one point in the third quarter, the Knights cut the deficit to within two points, but an 18-2 scoring run at the end of the third quarter and at the start of the fourth quarter allowed the Pioneers to lead as many as 24 points.
“Our full-court pressure was able to slow Queens down and we didn’t allow them to set up their half-court offense,” Moore said of the Pioneers’ win. “We were able to keep one of their best players, Merrick Rowland, out of the game by frustrating her and getting her into foul trouble. We did a good job moving the ball and executing our plays into quality baskets.”
The LIU Post women’s basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 14 for a Valentine’s Day matchup at the University of the District of Columbia at 5 p.m.
This article was originally published in the Pioneer, the award-winning student newspaper of LIU Post, www.liupostpioneer.com, and is republished here by Blank Slate Media with the permission of the Pioneer
