BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Although the final score may not reflect it, there was nothing easy about the victory for Post University Women's Basketball on Tuesday night against the University of Bridgeport. Trailing by one at the halftime break and leading by only four heading into the fourth, the Eagles used an 18-14 final quarter to pull away from the Purple Knights to earn their fifth conference win of the season, 72-64.
THE BASICS
Post University 72, University of Bridgeport 64
Post University (10-7, 5-2 CACC)
University of Bridgeport (5-12, 4-3 CACC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Purple Knights would get off to a fast start as freshman forward Harmony Earth-Wiley scored six points on 3-for-4 shooting to help Bridgeport jump ahead by five, 9-4. Graduate guard TiJanae Simmons would mount the response for the Eagles as she hit back-to-back threes to give Post their first lead of the game for only a brief moment until a three from Earth-Wiley and a layup from sophomore guard Niyah Whitten flipped the script on the score.
Most notable for the Purple Knights was Earth-Wiley who went into halftime leading her team with 16 points after opening the game with 11 first-quarter points and going 7-for-11 from the floor. The freshman ultimately would finish with 18 points after being stymied in the second half by the Post defense which helped keep them alive in a first half they trailed by as many as six in before going into halftime down just one, 40-39.
Post's defense would come up big in the third to help their team regain control for what would end up being for good after the lead shifted back in their favor. Trailing by five with 8:31 left in the frame, a 10-0 run for the Eagles would help them steal back the momentum in the contest while holding the Purple Knights to only 10 points in the frame. Although only held a four-point edge, 54-50, heading into the final quarter, the lead would never shrink below that margin the rest of the way.
A very balanced Eagle attack in the fourth saw five different players score a basket while graduate point guard Dede Stevenson led that pack with six points on 1-of-2 shooting while hitting 3-of-4 free throws. In total, Post would take 11 fourth-quarter free throws and convert on seven of them while limiting their turnovers to just one compared to four for Bridgeport. The lead would expand to as many as 11 points in the final 10 minutes before a layup just outside of a minute by senior guard Tariah Bryant brought the lead under double digits as the Eagles got back into the win column, 72-64.
Yet again, it was graduate shooting guard Maya Klein leading the way for Post with 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting while hitting 3-of-8 shots from long range. Klein was one of three Eagles to score in double figures alongside Simmons and graduate forward Trinity Bravo who scored 12 points and 10 points respectively.
BY THE NUMBERS
- With only 11 turnovers tonight, Post University turned the ball over the second-fewest times in a game this season as they had only six turnovers against Goldey-Beacom and then 11 against Mercy University
- While scoring double digits in three of her last four games, TiJanae Simmons has shot over 45% from the field in each game while being a perfect 4-for-4 from the line and being over 50% from three in each contest
- Making 9-of-16 three-point shots tonight, Post University shot 56.3% from beyond the arc which was a season-high – The previous high was 50% (7-for-14) against Saint Michael's College on the road earlier this year
- With a team-high 14 points in today's game, Maya Klein has now reached double-digit points in the past nine conference matchups in a row and in her last six games overall
WHO'S NEXT
Post University's first home game in 10 days will come on Saturday afternoon inside the Drubner Center as they get set for a 1:00 PM matchup against Georgian Court University. While holding a 21-9 record in the all-time series, the Eagles have also won seven straight games against the Lions and nine of their last 10 games dating back to the 2014-15 season.
