Box Score AMHERST, N.Y. (Dec. 12, 2014) - Throughout Friday evening's game versus Daemen College, the Molloy College men's basketball team battled, but ultimately fell by the final score of 75-61 to the Wildcats in an East Coast Conference-bout. The Lions have now dropped two straight, slipping to 6-3 overall and 1-1 in the ECC. The Wildcats are now 4-2 this season and 1-0 in the conference.
Junior guard
Brandon Williams (Baldwin, N.Y.) and senior guard
Matt McLeod (Greenlawn, N.Y.) chipped in with 15 points each. Sophomore guard
Jaylen Morris (Amherst, N.Y.) notched 13 points, but struggled from deep range, while senior forward
Miles Prendergast (Bayport, N.Y.) was strong in his 29 minutes off the bench scoring seven points and grabbing six rebounds.
Leading the Wildcats was Gerald Beverly, who corralled a new career-high 20 rebounds, to go along with his 25 points scored. Three others completed the win in double-figures scoring.
The Lions had a tough day shooting from the field connecting on fewer than 32% of their shots and 22% from three-point range. They hit 11 of their 16 free throws. The Wildcats shot close to 46% from the floor, hitting 1/3 of their attempts from downtown.
Daemen outscored Molloy 18-8 in bench points, 34-20 in the points-in-the-paint category, and outrebounded the Lions 50-30. The Wildcats grabbed 19 boards on the offensive glass, while the visiting Lions only corralled 14 defensive rebounds.
The Lions had a tough time shooting early on, falling behind 12-2 just 2:40 into the contest. A Molloy timeout didn't tame the Wildcats though, after a Torrence Dyck layup more than five minutes into the first frame brought the deficit to 13 points.
Daemen controlled the play throughout the half, until the Lions roared their way back in the game. Bucked by McLeod, Morris, Williams and company, Molloy outscored Daemen 13-4 over the final six minutes. The half ended 39-37 with Molloy trailing.
A steal by the Lions' sophomore forward
Charlie Marquardt (Rockaway Beach, N.Y.) just 14 seconds into the second half turned into a three-ball by McLeod and a one point lead -- their first advantage in the contest.
Molloy outscored Daemen 10-3 the first 4:47 into the half, as their largest lead was off a Williams jumper, 47-42. But three consecutive three-pointers and a 15-0 Wildcat run put the home squad back up by 13 points with 8:50 remaining (60-47).
A Marquardt three-pointer brought the score as close as seven points with 3:47 left (66-59). However, Daemen would control the rest of the way and hold onto the 75-61 victory.
UP NEXT: Head Coach
Charles Marquardt and his squad continue their upstate New York journey tomorrow when they will face Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.
SCOUTING ROBERTS WESLEYAN: The Redhawks defeated ECC-opponent Queens College 63-58 Friday evening. They are winners of four straight games, with a 5-2 overall record.
LAST TIME OUT: In the 2013-14 campaign, Molloy bested the Redhawks in both of its games, 94-83 on December 22, 2013, and 78-55 on February 8, 2014...In the first game,
John Petrucelli scored 24 points, while McLeod had 20...Williams netted 18...In the latter contest, McLeod scored another 20 points.
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