BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – Senior Chelsea Williams (Copiague, N.Y.) totaled 29 points, 11 rebounds and five assists to lead LIU Post to a 70-65 victory over Daemen College here tonight in East Coast Conference women's basketball action.
Daemen dropped to 11-14 overall and 8-11 in the ECC. The host Pioneers snapped a two-game slide and improved to 16-11 overall and 12-7 in the league.
Freshman Sarah Saba (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) paced the Wildcats with 20 points and six rebounds. It marked the fifth 20-point game of the season for Saba, the six-time ECC Rookie of the Week who is now averaging a team-high 14.4 points. Junior Raeann Stilwell (Cheektowaga, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) added 11 points, three assists and three steals for Daemen, while classmate Samantha Wozniak (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) chipped in eight points and three assists off the bench. Senior Shy Britton (Rochester, N.Y./Niagara University), who entered the game averaging 13.5 points and 7.4 rebounds, was limited to just 19 minutes due to foul trouble and finished with just eight points and one rebound.
Williams, the 2014-15 ECC Preseason Player of the Year, attempted 24 shots in the game and made seven. The bulk of her points came from the charity stripe, as she canned 13-of-15 free throws. Williams attempted and made more free throws then Daemen's entire team (9-for-11). Junior Nyasia Davis (Rahway, N.J.) helped the LIU Post cause with 17 points and 20 rebounds.
The Pioneers scored the first six points of the game, but the Wildcats outscored the hosts, 20-13, over the next nine minutes and Daemen took its first lead of the game, 20-19, following a three-pointer by Stilwell with 9:15 left before halftime. Daemen still held a one-point lead, 27-26, with just under three minutes left in the half when the Pioneers scored seven-straight points and took a 33-27 lead following a three-point play by Williams with 1:05 left before intermission. Daemen answered with two free throws by junior Somara Colon (Bronx, N.Y./Mott Haven Village Prep) 14 seconds later and a buzzer-beating jump shot by Saba cut the lead to 33-31 at the break.
A tightly played second half featured four ties and 10 lead changes, and neither team led by more than five points the entire half. A three-pointer by Williams gave LIU Post a 55-50 lead with 9:47 left, but Daemen answered with a 9-3 spurt. Saba scored seven points during the run, and a jumper by the rookie with 6:14 left capped it and gave Daemen a 59-58 lead. Saba's 20th point of the game knotted the score at 62-62 with 3:16 left, but LIU Post got a layup from sophomore Essence Casey (Huntington Station, N.Y.) with 2:44 left and two free throws by junior Quanisha Ratley (Brooklyn, N.Y.) with 1:43 remaining for a 66-62 lead. Neither team scored again until sophomore Leah McDonell (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Cardinal O'Hara) made one-of-two free throws for Daemen with 0:46 seconds left. Williams gave LIU Post a 68-63 lead with 0:21 left, and after a Britton bucket cut to it three points, Williams secured the win by making two free throws with 0:12 seconds left.
LIU Post shot just 35-percent (22-for-62) from the field overall and made just 5-of-20 from downtown, but the hosts attempted 22 more free throws than the Wildcats and outscored Daemen, 21-9 from the charity stripe. The Wildcats connected on 25-of-56 shots (45%) overall and made 6-of-22 from behind the arc. LIU Post finished with a commanding 48-30 edge in total rebounds. The Pioneers hauled in 22 offensive rebounds, which led to 20 second-chance points. The hosts also posted a 24-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
Daemen closes out the regular-season tomorrow with an ECC game at New York Tech at 1 p.m.
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