Women’s Bball Off to 3-0 Start

David Otero
Sports Editor

The LIU Post women’s basketball team is undefeated to start the 2012-2013 season after beating Adelphi University 82-81 back on Saturday, November 11, and winning both games in the Dowling Holiday Tournament against Felician College (0-5) and Goldey-Beacom College (3-5).

The first game in the Holiday Tournament, held at Dowling College in Oakdale, N.Y., for the Lady Pioneers was on Saturday, November 24, against the Felician College Golden Falcons. In this contest, the Lady Pioneers cruised to a 69-54 victory led by senior forward Nicolette Marciniak’s game-high 21 points on 9-13 shooting from the floor. In addition, Marciniak had a team-high eight rebounds.

Marciniak was actually the only player for LIU Post in double figures in the win, but there was a balanced scoring effort as sophomore guard Chelsea Williams had nine points, senior guard Ashley Caggiano scored eight points, and junior guards Alexis Peters and Kenyatta Sears each chipped in with seven points apiece.

Overall, the game between the Lady Pioneers and the Golden Falcons was a sloppy one as the teams had a combined 54 turnovers. However, the game was won on defense by the Lady Pioneers. Both defenses forced difficult possessions on the offensive end as both teams shot under 40 percent from the field and under 20 percent from beyond the arc for the game.

On Sunday, November 25, the Lady Pioneers won its third consecutive game to begin the year as it knocked off the Goldey-Beacom College Lightning 73-64. Marciniak notched her second double-double of the season as she put up 18 points and secured 11 rebounds. Senior center Samantha Kopp scored eight points and also grabbed 11 rebounds. Through the first three games of the year, the frontcourt of Marciniak and Kopp are both averaging at least 10 rebounds per game.

In this win, the Lady Pioneers shot its best percentage in any game this year as the team shot 7-21 (33.3 percent) from three point range. Williams led the way as she made three triples for the Lady Pioneers. On the flipside, the Lady Pioneers defended the three-pointer perfectly as the Lighting did not hit a single attempt throughout the game (0-8).

So far in the young season, Marciniak leads the team in scoring with 18 points per game. Caggiano (14.7 ppg), Williams (13.7 ppg) and Peters (10.7 ppg) all average double-figures in scoring. The Lady Pioneers also show balance as Caggiano and Peters both average four rebounds and four assists per game.

The Lady Pioneers will open up East Coast Conference play in the next game at home on Saturday, December 1, at 1:30 p.m. against the University of Bridgeport (5-1). Listen to 88.1 FM or WCWP.org to hear all your LIU Post women’s and men’s basketball coverage. Pregame starts at 1 p.m. with tipoff scheduled for 1:30 p.m.