Box Score ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Nov. 23, 2013) - The Molloy College men's basketball squad played non-conference opponent Philadelphia University in a thrilling nailbiter that came right down to the wire at Quealy Gymnasium in Rockville Centre, N.Y. With four seconds remaining in the game, Philadelphia led by five (69-64) before Molloy junior
Matt McLeod (Greenlawn, N.Y.) nailed a huge three-pointer to get his club back to within striking distance. Strong defense from the Rams and a couple of clutch free throws made by Derek Johnson, however, denied the Lions a chance to tie the game. With the 71-67 victory, Philadelphia improved to 3-2 overall, while the Lions slipped to 1-4 on the young season.
With eight minutes elapsed in the first half, the Rams had compiled a 15-6 lead. The Lions would come as close as four points to the tie in the opening period, but each time they inched closer, the Rams scored a few buckets to increase their lead. The guests' highwater mark for the first half was 10 points, and the third time the Rams reached a 10-point lead was when the two clubs headed into halftime.
After seven minutes had gone off the scoreboard in the second half, the Lions completed their 10-point comeback. At the 13:32 mark and down 42-41, McLeod stole the ball and lobbed a pass to freshman
Jaylen Morris (Amherst, N.Y.), who put the Lions ahead with a fastbreak dunk. On four separate occasions the score was tied, while each team held a lead very briefly. Following two converted free throws by Molloy sophomore
Chucks Obunse (Saint Albans, N.Y.) with 25 seconds left in regulation, the Lions were down by one, which would end up being the closest they would get. The Rams went 6-for-6 from the charity stripe in those remaining seconds to help them earn the 71-67 win.
For Molloy, McLeod led the team with 22 points, while Obunse scored 13 off the bench and senior
John Petrucelli (Hicksville, N.Y.) contributed 11. Petrucelli and junior
Miles Prendergast (Bayport, N.Y.) had six rebounds each, while the former recorded four steals.
For the Rams, Johnson had a game-high 23 points, while Peter Alexis had 21. Both of them grabbed eight rebounds each, while Andre Gibbs scored 10 points.
UP NEXT: Head Coach
Charles Marquardt and the Lions return to action next Saturday, November 30 when they host Queens College in their East Coast Conference-opener. All the action is set to begin at 2:30 p.m. at Quealy Gymnasium.
TUNE IN: If you can't attend the game, the Lions Sports Network will carry all the action on www.MolloyLions.com. Tune in at 2:15 p.m. for the pre-game show. In addition to the audio and video broadcast, LiveStats will be available.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter: @MolloyLions | Facebook: Molloy College Athletics | YouTube: Molloy Lions
