Pioneers out-shoot Ravens in
second half, hold on late for victory
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (December
30, 2005) - LIU-C.W. Post edged Franklin Pierce, 61-57 in
day two action of the 2005 C.W. Post Holiday Classic at the Pratt
Recreation Center this evening.
C.W. Post hit 48.1-percent
(13-of-27) of its shots from the field in the second half, compared
to 39.3% (11-28) for Franklin Pierce, to overcome 21 turnovers on
the night. Both teams struggled shooting in the first half as the
Pioneers connected on 27.3% (6-22) from the floor and the Ravens
shot 29% (9-31). The Ravens missed on all seven three-point
attempts in the second half and hit just 4-of-20 (20%) from beyond
the arc for the night.
Freshman Jonathan
Schmidt (Centereach, N.Y./St. Anthony's) led the
Pioneers with a game-high 18 points, hitting five-of-seven from the
floor and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, to go with five assists
and four rebounds. Junior Brian Williams (Brooklyn,
N.Y./Christ the King) came off the bench to add 16
points (all second half), shooting 6-of-9 from the floor, and
grabbed a team-best six rebounds. Classmate John Morris
(Houston, Texas/Westside) chipped in 11
points.
Junior Sean Mayo (Saco,
Maine/Thornton Academy) led Franklin Pierce with 14
points, a game-best eight rebounds and four steals. Senior
Pierre Sully (Jamaica Plain, Mass./North
Cambridge) netted a team-best 15 points to go with
five rebounds, while classmate Justin Powell
(Brookline, Mass./Brookline) added 12 points, six
boards and three assists.
C.W. Post, winners of five of its
last six, used a 14-2 run to build a 43-36 advantage after a
Williams free-throw with 8:25 to play. However, Franklin Pierce
closed the gap to a point (58-57) after Mayo converted a
conventional three-point play with 18-seconds left.
The Ravens forced a Pioneer
turnover and had a shot to take the lead, but Timothy
Munch (Blauvelt, N.Y./Storm King Prep) was off the
mark with a three-pointer and Mayo's put-back caromed off the rim.
Williams drained two free-throws with 3.1-seconds to play and the
Ravens full-court pass sailed out of bounds to seal the C.W. Post
victory.
After leading by two points (23-21)
at the half, Franklin Pierce built a seven-point lead early in the
second half (32-25) after a Mayo free-throw, before the Pioneers
went on their 14-2 run.
Franklin Pierce (4-5, 1-3 NE-10)
returns to its Northeast-10 Conference schedule on Monday when it
hosts Pace University at 7:30 p.m. LIU-C.W. Post (6-3) hosts
Concordia College on Friday, January 6, at 7 p.m.
BOXSCORE
