WATERBURY, Conn. – Post University Women's Basketball honored eight seniors in this afternoon's home match up against the University of Bridgeport Purple Knights for their final regular season game. After a tie score heading into the break, the Eagles turned it up in the third and fourth quarters to secure the win, 63-53 and the North Division Champions title and No. 1 spot in the CACC Tournament.

THE BASICS

Post University 63, University of Bridgeport 53

Post University (17-9, 12-4 CACC)
 
University of Bridgeport (9-18, 8-8 CACC)

HOW IT HAPPENED 
Graduate student Amaya Santiago got the Eagles going with a jumper in the paint before turning around to land one from downtown to make it 5-2 less than a minute after tip-off. However, Bridgeport battled back to tie it up 7-7 before taking their first advantage, 8-7 after one from the charity stripe before netting another pair to grab a three-point edge (10-7). It wasn't long before Trinity Bravo took those points back with a three-pointer to knot it up at 10. After almost two full minutes of scoreless action, the squads traded baskets before the Purple Knights booked the final basket of the first from behind the arc to enter the next frame, 15-12.
 
Just 20 ticks into the second quarter, Maya Klein hit a three to lock it up at 15-15, catalyzing a mini rally for the Eagles as they took the edge, 20-15 with 7:41 on the clock. Bridgeport attempted to close the gap, but Post turned on the offensive drive, grabbing an eight-point lead after back to back threes from Tijanae Simmons and Dede Stevenson (28-20). The Purple Knights fought their way back to cut the deficit to two with 1:58 to go before drawing a foul at the last second which they took advantage of to head into the break, 30-all.
 
After 20 minutes of action and 30 points apiece, the Eagles shot 50 percent from three (6-for-12) compared to Bridgeport's 3-for-12 (25 percent). Additionally, Post attained the biggest lead of the game (eight) with a score of 28-20 while Bridgeport's biggest lead was just three (15-12).
 
Bridgeport opened up the third with a basket to take the edge, before Santiago tied it up at 32 as the clock struck 8:55. The Purple Knights were eventually able to grab a six-point advantage over the Eagles, 41-35. At the 3:29 mark, Klein brought the Eagles within one after sinking one from downtown (44-45). Exactly half a minute later, Bravo capitalized on a fast break to hit an electrifying three and take back the edge for the Eagles, 47-45 before tacking on another basket to head into the final frame, 49-45.
 
Simmons started the fourth just as the Eagles left off, landing a three to take the seven-point lead, 52-45. The Purple Knights chipped away to come within three (53-56) at the 4:13 mark, but the Eagles held strong, eventually taking their biggest lead of the game with 1:04 remaining in regulation before sealing the 63-53 win.
 
BY THE NUMBERS   

• Maya Klein led the Eagles to victory today with a team-high 16 points, this marks the third game in a row that the graduate student earned double-digits while going 4-for-5 from behind the arc
• Meanwhile, Trinity Bravo also recorded double-digits with 10 points as well as booking eight rebounds, just two short of a double-double
• Overall, the Eagles ended with a 47.6 percent from the three-point line
• Recently, the Eagles have shot under 60 percent in three of their last four games from the free throw line, however, are on the up and up as last game they were over fifty percent going 8-for-14 before earning a successful 81.8 percent tonight, going 9-for-11
• The win marks Post's fifth straight win against the Purple Knights as their last loss came from 2013 when the Eagles fell, 76-86

WHO'S NEXT 
After concluding the regular season with today's win, the Eagles clinched the title as the North Division Champions, entering the CACC Tournament as the No. 1 seed and are set to square up against Goldey-Beacom for the CACC Quarterfinals with a 7:30 p.m. start at the home of the Eagles. The last time the teams faced each other was on Tuesday, February 17 when the Eagles were narrowly defeated, 72-79 on the road in Wilmington, Delaware. However, in January of this year, Post crushed Goldey-Beacom by almost doubling their opponents points, 98-46 at the Drubner Center. If the Eagles are successful on Tuesday, the Semifinals are slated for Saturday, March 9 followed by the Championship game on Sunday, March 10.