WATERBURY, Conn. – In a game that was defined by defensive plays and stretches of shooting struggles from both sides, Post University Women's Basketball held off a second-half surge by Southern New Hampshire University who entered the day ranked fourth in the D2CSC Women's Basketball Regional Rankings. A big shot by graduate forward Taina Pagan which led to a three-point play helped the Eagles emerge with a big 57-51 upset victory at home on Sunday afternoon, the first in program history for Post against Southern New Hampshire.

THE BASICS

Post University 57, Southern New Hampshire University 51

Post University (2-3)

Southern New Hampshire University (2-1)

HOW IT HAPPENED
For the first three quarters of play, Post University would control the entire way, never relinquishing the lead throughout the first 30 minutes of play nor allowing the Penmen to even tie the game up. The afternoon was started by junior guard Naj White who hit her first three shots to help the Eagles jump ahead, 6-2, in the contest. That first quarter lead would balloon to as many as 10 points after Pagan's shot with 1:45 remaining in the open frame before two layups from senior forward Jess Knight and freshman guard Abby Wager helped Southern New Hampshire cut their deficit to six points.
 
A second quarter which saw both sides combine for just 17 points had Post edge out the Penmen slightly overall, 9-8, in which Southern New Hampshire would never pull closer than three points, both times after a basket by graduate guard Adriana Timberlake. Graduate point guard Le'Sandra Turner's jumper in the closing minute would give Post some momentum into the break as they lead by seven, 24-17.
 
Timberlake would help lead the early second half charge with a layup following a three from sophomore forward Meghan Gordon which quickly cut the Penmen deficit to just two points, 24-22. Two baskets from Turner and graduate guard Trinity Bravo helped give the Eagles some breathing room with 7:03 left. Punching back again with a three from senior guard Julia Colby and Knight's layup, Southern New Hampshire cut the lead to its smallest margin thus far at one point, 28-27. However, the Eagles would take a healthy 37-33 lead into the final 10 minutes on their quest to snap a two-game losing streak.
 
For the first time all game, Southern New Hampshire would tie the game up at 37 all when Gordon hit the first of two free throws with exactly eight minutes left in regulation. But the Penmen would never take the lead in the contest as the Eagles would consistently respond with a basket whenever danger came their way. Up by one with 4:55 left, White would go on a stretch where she hit 4-of-6 free throws attempted to helped Post maintain a four-point edge, 50-46.
 
At the 1:28 mark, Knight's layup made it just a two-point game, 52-50, when Pagan hit her tough layup and got the foul to open up the lead to four points before hitting the free throw. That free throw made it a five-point advantage for the Eagles who hit 2-of-4 free throws in the final minute with graduate point guard Dede Stevenson to come away with the 57-51 victory at home.

BY THE NUMBERS

• For the second straight game, graduate shooting guard Maya Klein led the way for Post with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting and 4-for-7 shooting from three – Klein has now hit 8-of-15 threes and 12-of-22 shots over her last two games
• Recording her second double-double of the season, Taina Pagan finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds – Pagan now has five straight games to start the season with double-digit rebounding numbers
• As a team, Post shot 40.7% from the floor (22-for-54) while a 5-for-33 performance from beyond the arc for Southern New Hampshire resulted in a 15.2% shooting day from three-point land and 27.5% day overall
• The victory over Southern New Hampshire was the first in program history for Post University who started 0-7 all-time against the Penmen

WHO'S NEXT
Post University will head back on the road for one game before beginning conference play at home as they face off against Mercy University on Wednesday afternoon at 5:00 PM. Holding a 5-2 record all-time against the Mavericks, the Eagles won five straight games against them before falling in the 2019-20 season, 72-69, on the road. At home, Post is 3-0 all-time against Mercy.