AMHERST, N.Y. – Senior Chelsea Williams (Copiague, N.Y.) totaled 21 points, three assists, three steals and two blocks to lead Long Island University-Post to a 79-69 victory over Daemen College here tonight in East Coast Conference women's basketball action. LIU Post improved to 11-6 overall and 7-2 in the ECC, while Daemen dropped to 8-7 overall and 5-4 in the league.
 
Freshman Sarah Saba (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) and senior Shy Britton (Rochester, N.Y./Niagara University) both equaled their season-high for points for Daemen. Saba totaled 21 points and five rebounds, while Britton also scored 21 points (17 in the first half) and added six rebounds and four blocks. Sophomore Natalie Galus (Hamburg, N.Y./Frontier) totaled six points, a team-high 11 rebounds and four blocks, while classmate Leah McDonell (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Cardinal O'Hara) added 12 points, four rebounds and three assists.
 
Williams, the 2013-14 ECC Player of the Year and 2014-15 ECC Preseason Player of the Year, had to work for her 21 points, as she finished 8-for-22 from the field and 3-of-7 from the charity stripe. Senior Ashley Castle (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added 15 points and five assists for the Pioneers, while junior Nyasia Davis (Rahway, N.J.) 11 points and 17 rebounds.
 
A three minute stretch midway through the second half decided the outcome tonight. The Pioneers held a 53-51 lead with just over 11 minutes left when a three-pointer by Castle sparked the visitors on an 11-0 run. A layup by Williams with 8:24 left capped the spurt and gave the Pioneers their largest lead of the game, 64-51. The Wildcats cut the lead to five points twice down the stretch, the last being 68-63 with 2:38 left, but the hosts could come no closer.
 
The first nine minutes of the game featured seven ties and five lead changes and neither led by more than three points. The game was tied at 18-18 when the Pioneers scored seven-straight points and opened up a 25-18 lead following a putback by freshman Alexis Beane (New Haven, Conn.) with 10:39 left in the half. Britton then scored seven-straight points for the hosts and her bucket with 9:09 left in the half tied the game at 25-25. The Wildcats took a 30-29 lead after McDonell swished a corner three-pointer, and the hosts later took a 36-33 lead following a layup by Britton with just over three minutes left before intermission. LIU Post closed out the half with a 7-1 burst and the Pioneers took a 40-37 lead into the break.
 
LIU Post scored the first four points of the second half, but Daemen responded with eight unanswered points and took a 45-44 lead following a jumper by junior Raeann Stilwell (Cheektowaga, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) with 16:42 left. The teams traded baskets for the next five minutes before LIU Post put together its decisive 11-0 spurt.
 
Turnovers and second-chance points were key statistics in the game. Daemen turned the ball over 18 times (compared to just nine for LIU Post) and the Pioneers finished with a 20-7 edge in points off turnovers. The visitors also grabbed 23 offensive rebounds, which they converted into a 25-8 advantage in second-chance points.
 
Daemen returns to action tomorrow (Jan. 24) when it hosts New York Tech in an ECC contest at 2 p.m.
 
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