BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – The Daemen College women's basketball team opened East Coast Conference play with a 69-59 loss to Long Island University—Post here tonight. Daemen dropped to 2-4 overall, while the host Pioneers improved to 4-3 overall and 2-0 in the league.
Senior Leah McDonell (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Cardinal O'Hara) paced the Daemen attack with her third career double-double, as she totaled 15 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and four steals. Junior Sarah Saba (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) added 11 points, seven rebounds and three steals, while freshman guard Carina Pringle (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) chipped in nine points. Junior forward Liz Miles (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) made her second-straight start and totaled seven points and nine rebounds.
Four players reached double figures for the Pioneers. Sophomore Shannon Doyle (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) scored a team-high 15 points, while sophomore Sasha Patterson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) totaled 11 points and 18 rebounds.
Daemen jumped out to an early 6-1 lead, before the Pioneers rattled off eight-straight points and took a 9-6 lead following a jumper by freshman guard Dominique Williams (Queens Village, N.Y.) with just under four minutes left in the first quarter. Daemen answered with five-straight points from Pringle and the teams traded baskets the rest of the quarter.
Daemen took a 14-13 lead into the second quarter and the game was tied at 17-17 when the Pioneers scored five-straight points for a 22-17 lead. The hosts later took their largest lead of the first half, 31-24, following a layup by senior forward Janaysia James (Perth Amboy, N.J.) with 2:26 left before halftime. Miles sparked a 9-0 run by the Wildcats to close out the half, as she netted seven points during the rally, and Daemen took a 33-31 lead into halftime.
LIU Post held a 36-35 lead three minutes into the third quarter when the Wildcats got buckets from McDonell, and rookies Alexis Perdue (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) and Pringle for a 41-36 lead with five minutes left in the frame. The hosts tied the game following a layup by Patterson and a triple by Doyle, and the Pioneers eventually took a 47-41 lead following a layup by Doyle with 1:29 left in the quarter. LIU Post took a 49-46 lead into the final quarter.
A conventional three-point play by Saba 23 seconds into the fourth quarter tied the game at 49-49, but the Pioneers then took control with a 15-2 run. Doyle scored seven points during the run and a jumper by senior guard Kylie Garrett (Mount Orab, Ohio) with 3:50 left to play capped the rally and gave LIU Post a 64-51 lead. McDonell scored five-straight points to cut the lead to eight points, 64-56. The Wildcats would come no closer, as LIU Post hit 5-of-8 free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
Daemen connected on just 17-of-59 shots (29%) and made 5-of-22 from behind the three-point arc. The Wildcats went 10-for-15 from the charity stripe. LIU Post shot 37-percent (14–38) overall and went 2-for-7 from downtown. The Pioneers canned 8-of-16 free throws.
LIU Post collected 27 offensive rebounds and finished with a 60-40 edge in total rebounds.
Daemen returns to action Saturday (Dec. 3) when it travels to the University of the District of Columbia for an ECC contest.
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