Shaw netted her first career double-figure scoring game with a season-high 20 points for the Skyhawks today. (PHOTO BY Barry Gutradt)

Garrett and Olsen combine for 42 to lead Pioneers to non-conference win

BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (December 31, 2016) – LIU Post pulled away from Stonehill College in the fourth quarter to claim an 82-70 victory in non-conference women's basketball action at the Pratt Recreation Center this afternoon.

Senior Kristen Olsen (Staten Island, New York/Curtis) and junior Kylie Garrett (Mount Arab, Ohio/Western Brown) combined for 42 of LIU Post's 82 points with 21 points each to lead the Pioneers to just their second win over their last six. Garrett netted her 21 points in 20 minutes off the bench as she made 6-of-9 shots from the floor, including 5-for-8 from three-point range, while converting all four free-throws to go with three assists. OIsen made 6-of-16 shots, including 4-for-10 from deep, draining 5-of-6 free-throws for her 21, while adding four rebounds, two assists and six steals.

Freshman Mikaiya Moore (Amityville, New York/Copaigue) was the only other LIU Post player in double-figures with 17 points on 8-of-18 shooting and seven rebounds, while sophomore Sasha Patterson (Brooklyn, New York/Benjamin Banneker) chipped in with seven boards (six offensive), five points, three assists and three steals.

LIU Post finished shooting 38.4-percent from the field (28-for-73), including 45.5% (15-33) in the second half, connecting on 12-of-25 three-pointers (48%), including 9-for-14 (64.3%) over the final 20 minutes, and converting 14-of-21 (66.7%) free-throws. The Pioneers also held a 43-36 rebounding edge to produce a 12-7 advantage in second chance points, while turning 20 Stonehill turnovers into a 25-17 scoring advantage off. Stonehill shot nearly 50-percent from the floor in the loss, finishing at 49.2% (30-for-61) after connecting at 60.9% (14-23) in the first half. The Skyhawks made 4-of-15 (26.7%) three-pointers and connected on 6-of-10 free-throws.

Freshman Kelsey Shaw (Bar Harbor, Maine/Mount Desert Island) led Stonehill with a season-high 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including 2-for-6 from beyond the arc, with a season-best six rebounds, two assists and a steal in 23 minutes off the bench. Junior Samantha Hyslip (Westford, Massachusetts/Westford Academy) added 14 points (12 second half) on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor, draining all four free-throws, with a team-high seven rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals. Sophomore Maty Diabate (Holden, Massachusetts/Wachusett Regional) scored ten of her 12 points in the first half, shooting 6-for-9 from the floor, with five boards, while junior Courtney Walsh (Windham, New Hampshire/Central Catholic) rounded out the Skyhawks double-figure scorers with ten points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.

Hyslip scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half to go with seven rebounds and four blocked shots. (PHOTO BY Barry Gutradt)

LIU Post held the only two possession lead by either team throughout a first half that featured ten ties and nine lead changes with a four-point lead (19-15) after a Garrett layup with seven minutes remaining in the second quarter. In all the game saw 12 ties and 17 lead changes in a back and forth matchup until the final quarter. Shaw sent the game into halftime deadlocked at 30 points aside with a last-second layup and then Stonehill grabbed its first four-point lead (35-31) after a Hyslip jumper 1:12 into the third quarter.

That marked Stonehill's largest lead of the night as back to back three-pointers from Olsen put LIU Post back on top (37-35) 45-seconds later. Walsh gave the Skyhawks a second four-point lead (44-40) with a triple with 6:05 to play in the third. Freshman Robyn Francis (Rosedale, New York/Francis Lewis) gave the Pioneers the lead (53-52) after three quarters and then after a slow start by both teams to open the fourth, the hosts forged an eight-point lead (63-55) on a Moore layup with six minutes to play as the Skyhawks made just one basket over the first four minutes of the frame.

Garrett stretched the LIU Post lead to nine (66-57) with a three-pointer with 5:41 remaining, but Stonehill closed the gap to four (68-64) with four minutes still to play after a Shaw triple and two Hyslip free-throws. The Skyhawks would get no closer as the Pioneers claimed their first double-digit lead of the night (77-66) after two Olsen free-throws with 50-seconds on the clock as the hosts drained 9-of-10 free-throws in the final minute to seal the victory.

Stonehill (5-6, 4-3 NE10) returns to Northeast-10 Conference play on Wednesday, January 4, when it visits Le Moyne College at 5:30 p.m. The Skyhawks return home next Saturday, January 7, to host Southern Connecticut State University at Merkert Gym at 1:30 p.m. LIU Post (6-7, 3-1 ECC) visits University of the District of Columbia on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

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