WATERBURY, Conn. – After Post University Women's Basketball held a 16-point lead with 8:43 remaining in the third quarter, the College of Staten Island used a 16-2 run to get themselves back into the contest and capitalized off several Eagle turnovers down the stretch to complete the comeback win in Post's 2024-25 home opener, 72-68, on Saturday afternoon in the Drubner Center.
THE BASICS
Post University 68, College of Staten Island 72
Post University (0-4)
College of Staten Island (2-2)
HOW IT HAPPENED
In a game that featured only five ties and four lead changes, most of those would all come in the first quarter with both sides exchanging buckets to the tune of a 6-4 lead for the Dolphins before the Eagles would distance themselves with a 10-0 run to go ahead by eight, 14-6, led by four points from sophomore forward
Alyssa Rossignol. Back-to-back baskets by graduate forward
Roxkel Washington and a three from sophomore guard
Hannah Finnerty to go up by as many as 12 before junior guard Kyra Rose hit a pair of layups before the end of the frame to make it a 19-11 game after one.
A little over two minutes would go by in the second before senior guard
Naj White broke the seal on the scoring with her jumper in a quarter that saw Post's lead never dip below five before expanding to 15 points after a crucial technical foul. With junior forward
Nicole Parks at the line shooting two, a technical foul would be awarded to Dolphins' Head Coach Nicole Sarcone between shots leading to a technical free throw for White and two more free throws for Parks as well as the ball for Post. Using that to their advantage, White connected on a jumper to give the Eagles their largest lead of the half at 15 points which would be cut to 11 points, 35-24, heading into the break.
With a three from Finnerty and a jumper from White to start the third, the Eagles had their largest lead of the entire game at 16 points and would do so again on a three by sophomore forward
Emma Carman with 8:43 left before the Dolphins made their run. Senior forward Jenalyse Alarcon scored the next five points and eight total on what would be a 16-2 run to pull within two points, 45-43, with 3:25 remaining in the third. Breaking up the run was senior guard
Jayden Burns with her three, which was just one of six makes for Post today after attempting 25 overall.
Still despite the run, the Eagles maintained a seven-point advantage into the fourth, 54-47, and went up by double-digits, 61-51, with 7:47 remaining in regulation. From that point on, the College of Staten Island would embark on a 14-0 run with Alarcon and graduate guard Amber Abusbeih accounting for 10 of the 14 points during the stretch to give the Dolphins their first lead since 6-4 in the first quarter, 62-61. With only 1:31 left in the game, Rossignol gave Post their final lead of the game, 68-67, with her layup before a pair of Alarcon free throws with under a minute to go sparked a 5-0 run for the Dolphins to pull off the comeback with, 72-68, over the Eagles.
BY THE NUMBERS
- With a 57.1% showing from the free throw line, that was the highest free-throw percentage that Post University has had this season after making 12-of-21 attempts in the defeat
- In their first four games of the season, Post University has committed 20-plus turnovers in each affair while doing so in just eight games throughout the entire 2023-24 season
- Dropping today's match this is only the second regular season loss for Post University at home since Head Coach Courtney Burns took over last season -- The Eagles are 11-3 overall at home in the last two years
- This is the first time in the all-time head-to-head series in which Post University has lost to the College of Staten Island after winning the first three matchups
WHO'S NEXT
Post University starts a three-game road trip on Wednesday evening at Queens College at 7:00 PM down in Flushing, New York. The Eagles have won four straight matchups with the Knights since the 2019-2020 season including last season at home in a close 61-55 victory on the Drubner Center court.
