BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – Senior Sasha Patterson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) totaled 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead regionally-ranked Long Island University Post to a 74-61 victory over Daemen College here tonight in East Coast Conference women's basketball action. LIU-Post, which is ranked sixth in the latest NCAA Division II East Region poll, secured at least a share of the ECC regular-season championship and earned the top seed in the upcoming ECC Championship Tournament with the win.

Daemen dropped to 12-15 overall and 9-8 in the ECC. The nine conference wins are the most in a season for Daemen since it joined the ECC in 2013-14. LIU-Post extended its winning streak to seven-straight games and improved 21-6 overall and 16-1 in the league.

Despite the loss, Daemen maintained its hold on fifth place in the ECC standings with one game remaining in the regular season. The Wildcats have already secured their first-ever appearance in the ECC Tournament. Daemen closes the regular season at New York Institute of Technology (16-11, 10-7 ECC) Sunday, and the winner of that game will be seeded fourth the ECC Tournament and host a first-round game Wednesday (Feb. 28). The loser will be seeded fifth or sixth and will have to travel to a first-round game on the 28th. Daemen posted a 79-76 win over New York Tech last month in Amherst.

Senior Sarah Saba (Lancaster, N.Y.) paced the Wildcats with 20 points, seven rebounds and four steals. It marked the 10th time this season she has scored 20 or more points, and she extended her streak of consecutive double-digit scoring games to a career-best 26. She has now totaled 1,737 career points and stands just 12 points shy of moving into fifth place in career points among Daemen's all-time leaders. Sophomore Carina Pringle (Rochester, N.Y.) added 11 points, four assists and three steals, while classmate Sarah Young (Depew, N.Y.) chipped in 11 points and four rebounds.

Patterson, who entered the game as the ECC leader in field goal percentage, connected on 7-of-13 shots en route to her league-leading 13th double-double of the year. Sophomore Mikaiya Moore (Amityville, N.Y.) added 12 points and three assists, while graduate student Kylie Garrett (Mount Orab, Ohio) went 7-for-7 from the charity stripe and finished with 12 points.

LIU Post outscored the Wildcats 13-4 over the first six minutes of the game and later took 22-8 lead following back-to-back three-pointers by sophomore Asia Turner (Philadelphia, Pa.). Daemen closed out the first quarter scoring with a three-pointer by redshirt senior Taylor Heinold (Hamburg, N.Y.) and LIU Post took a 22-11 lead into the second quarter.

The Pioneers outscored Daemen 12-6 over the first five minutes of the second quarter and opened up their largest lead of the first half, 34-17, following a layup by Moore. Daemen answered with a three-pointer by freshman Caroline White (Fairport, N.Y.), which sparked a quarter-ending 10-2 run by the Wildcats. A jumper by Pringle with 15 seconds left before intermission capped the run and cut the LIU Post lead to single digits (37-26) at the half.

The momentum did not carry over into the second half for Daemen, as the hosts opened the third quarter with back-to-back layups by Patterson and a three-pointer by redshirt sophomore Taylah Hudson (Glen Cove, N.Y.). A three-pointer by Saba with 7:21 left in the frame halted the run and cut the LIU Post lead to 13 points (43-30), and the lead was 11 points, 45-34, midway through the third. Daemen cut the lead to single digits, 45-36, following a layup by Young with 3:41 left in the third, but the Pioneers answered with a conventional three-point play by Turner and later regained a  15-point lead, 53-38, following another and-one by redshirt sophomore Robin Francis (Rosedale, N.Y.) with 1:13 left in the frame.

Daemen refused to go away and used an 11-3 run over the first four minutes of the fourth quarter to cut the LIU-Post lead to five points, 56-51. A three-pointer by Saba with 6:06 to play capped the rally. The Pioneers scored five unanswered points over the next two minutes, and later took a 12-point lead, 66-54, following a triple by Garrett with 2:53 remaining. Daemen came no closer than eight points down the stretch.

Daemen shot 43-percent (25-for-58) from the field overall and made 6-of-16 from three-point land. The Wildcats attempted eight free throws and made five. LIU Post shot 42-percent (25-for-59) from the field overall and made 6-of-24 from downtown. The hosts attempted 24 free throws and made 18. The Pioneers finished with a 43-29 edge in total rebounds, and the hosts also finished with the advantage in points off turnovers (19-12), second-chance points (10-7), bench points (33-6) and points in the paint (38-26).

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