ORANGEBURG, N.Y. – Graduate forward Derrick Thomas II led Post University Men's Basketball with 28 points, shooting 11-for-23 from the floor for his third 20-plus game for the Eagles in the last four games, but a big second-half surge from Dominican (N.Y.) on Wednesday night would allow them to come away with the 97-78 victory on their home court, all but ending Post's hopes at a CACC Tournament home game next week. 

THE BASIC

Post University 78, Dominican (N.Y.) 97

Post University (11-16, 10-9 CACC)

Dominican (N.Y.) (13-14, 10-9 CACC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Thomas II got off to a fast start for Post, scoring their first four points as part of a 7-2 run capped off by a three from junior guard Ta'Quan Williams, but the two teams would battle back-and-forth for the lead through the opening 20 minutes of play. In response, the offense of the Chargers put up seven consecutive points, taking the lead back, 9-7, following a layup from senior guard Isaiah Honis. In all, the game would feature four lead changes and seven ties, as the largest lead for Dominican (N.Y.) in the first half came in at eight points, 25-17, with 10:17 left, as the five-point lead Post had at the start of the game would be their largest through the rest of the evening.

While Thomas II finished with 28 points, 17 of those came in the first half on 6-for-11 shooting, while Williams had 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting for a Post team that went 16-for-35 (45.7%) from the field and 6-for-10 (60%) from three. Senior forward Kirk D. Koi Jr. had 12 points to lead the Chargers, going 2-for-5 from the field, as Dominican (N.Y.) as a whole was 11-for-30 (36.7%) from the field, making 3-of-9 (33.3%) of their threes, but went to the line 19 times, connecting on 17 of them.

It would be the Eagles in front going into halftime, 45-42, a scenario they had only been in eight times so far this year heading into the night, and were 7-1 when leading at the half until tonight, where they suffered their second loss in such instances. Post took the lead at half after trailing most of the way, after Thomas II and Williams scored the final five combined points with the game tied at 40 all to give them the lead. 

While Thomas II started the second half with a layup to put Post ahead by three once more after sophomore guard Reginald Dillard's free throws, that would be the last time the Eagles were in front the rest of the evening. Dillard proceeded to tie the game at 47 with 19:24 left, starting an 11-0 run for the Chargers, which gave them an eight-point lead about two minutes later. Post would mount a response as Williams, who finished with 18 points, and Thomas II went to work on a 6-0 run that made it a one-point game, 57-56, and for some time they would remain within a possession or two because of those small runs.

But after junior guard Zion Lott connected on two free throws at the 12:12 mark to bring Post within one again, 67-66, it would be the closest they got the rest of the way. Koi Jr. continued his dominant game for the Chargers, in which he had a 26-point, 10-rebound double-double going 18-for-18 at the free-throw line while Dominican (N.Y.) went 33-for-37 (89.2%) as a team compared to only 13-for-21 (61.9%) for the Eagles. Sophomore guard Elijah Peters was one of the four players who also reached double-digit scoring for the Chargers, putting up 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting off the bench, while Honis closed with 15 points, and senior guard Javel Cherry had 10 points in the 97-78 win. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• Derrick Thomas II closed with 20-plus points for the third time in the last four games, scoring 28 points on 11-for-23 shooting after his 30-point outing at home against Goldey-Beacom College over the weekend
• Kirk D. Koi Jr. finished with a double-double for Dominican (N.Y.), scoring 26 points on 4-for-12 shooting with 10 rebounds, while going a perfect 18-for-18 from the free-throw line
• At halftime this season, Post University is 7-2 when leading at halftime, while being 4-13 when trailing and 0-1 when tied
• With 18 points in the loss, Ta'Quan Williams became the 15th player in program history to surpass the 1,000 point mark, doing so in only three seasons

 
WHO'S NEXT
Post University finishes up the regular season this Saturday at 4:30 PM when they take on Georgian Court University on the road. The Eagles have never lost to the Lions in program history, going a perfect 12-0, winning the most recent matchup, 104-72, at home.