Men's Basketball Sees Season End With A 73-68 Ovetime Loss At LIU Post In ECC Quarterfinals
Senior Ernest Rouse Tops 1,000 Career Point Mark With 11 Points On The Night
Brookville, N.Y.-The University of Bridgeport men's basketball team saw its 2015-16 season come to a close on Wednesday night in the East Coast Conference Championship Tournament Quarterfinals, as the fifth-seeded Purple Knights fell in overtime to the host and fourth-seeded Pioneers of LIU Post, 73-68, on Long Island. UB closes out its season at 15-14 overall, and LIUP moves on the ECC Semifinals at 18-11, after outscoring the visitors, 13-8 in the extra period.
In overtime, the host Pioneers scored the first two points of the frame on a pair of free throws by Greg Dotson, who play all 45 minutes in the game and who led all scorers with 22 points, just 15 seconds into action. The Purple Knights would take their only lead of extra time just seven seconds later when senior Devon Elliott (Brooklyn, N.Y.) hit a three-point shot to put Bridgeport ahead, 63-62, before the Pioneers closed the game out on an 11-5 run to take the victory. Elliot led UB in scoring with 18 points on the night.
With the game tied, 26-26, after the first half, the visiting Purple Knights managed to open up an eight-point, 59-51, lead with 3:18 remaining in regulation before LIU Post stormed back to close the second half on a 9-1 run to send the game into overtime tied at 60-60.
For Bridgeport, Elliott was joined in double-digit scoring by graduate student Antoine Brown (Brooklyn, N.Y.) with 12 points of the bench, and junior Kyle Benjamin (Bronx, N.Y.) and senior Ernest Rouse (Freeport, N.Y.), each with 11 points.
Rouse's points were special ones on Wednesday, as he became the 30th player in University of Bridgeport men's basketball history, and the first since Darian David during the 2012-13 season, to reach the 1,000 career point plateau. Ernest entered action at LIU Post needing five points to reach 1,000 for his time in a Purple and White uniform, and he closed out his Bridgeport career with 1,006 total points.