UB Women Hang Tough With ECC Co-Leader LIU Post Before Falling At Home, 83-72

Bridgeport, Conn. – The University of Bridgeport women's basketball team dropped a closely contested East Coast Conference matchup against conference co-leaders, the LIU Post Pioneers, 83-72, on Wednesday night. The loss drops UB to 6-16 overall and 4-12 in the ECC, LIU Post moves to 16-5 overall while staying atop the ECC at 13-2.

After going into halftime tied at 38-38, both teams came out red-hot to start the second half. At the 16:51 mark, both teams had already each netted 11 points apiece and were  again tied at 49-49, due in large part to the shooting of UB junior Jennifer Kucukkaya (Sodertalje, Sweden) who connected on three three-point baskets during that stretch. LIU Post would then go on a 9-0 run to take a 58-49 lead with 13:07 to play, only to see Bridgeport storm back with a 13-3 run of its own to take a one point lead, 62-61, with 7:31 remaining. LIU Post would answer with another run, which was the theme of the game all night long, to lead 70-63 with 4:44 left. However this time, the Purple Knights did not have answer as they trailed by seven or more point for the rest of the second half.

Kucukkaya finished with a team-high 22 points for UB with 17 of them coming in the second half. Joining her in double-figures on the night were classmates Jenna Hoffman (Manchester Center, Vt.) and Tiara Aziz (Easton, Pa.) who scored 15 and 14 points, respectively. Rounding out the double-digit scorers for Bridgeport was freshman Evelyn Ovner (Vallentuna, Sweden) who chipped in 10 points and also pulled in nine rebounds, a team high.

The Pioneers were led by Kiki Sears who had a game-high 24 points off the bench.

The Purple Knights will hit the road for a three-game journey with the first stop coming in Old Westbury, N.Y. as they face off versus the Bears of NYIT on Saturday, February 15 at 3:00 p.m.