Box Score ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Dec. 5, 2014) - On Thursday evening, the Molloy College men's basketball team won its fourth game in a row with an East Coast Conference home win over Mercy College, 78-65. The Lions move to 6-1 on the season, and1-0 in the ECC, while the Mavericks drop to 3-1, 0-1 in conference.
Sophomore guard Jaylen Morris (Amherst, N.Y.) led all scorers with 23 points, while four of Molloy's five starters finished in double figures. Junior guard Brandon Williams (Baldwin, N.Y.) was a perfect 12-12 from the charity stripe to score 14 points, sophomore forward Charlie Marquardt (Rockaway Beach, N.Y.) had a 13-point outing, and senior guard Matt McLeod (Greenlawn, N.Y.) contributed with 11 points. The Lions' bench chipped in with strong outings, including senior forward Miles Prendergast's (Bayport, N.Y.) all-around performance -- four points, five rebounds, and a block, while senior center Richard Zoller (Syosset, N.Y.) had a six-point night.
The Mavericks' Jeremiah Brown scored a team-high 16 points and corralled seven rebounds. Lazaro Martinez buried 15 points and grabbed six boards.
Molloy shot 47.1% from the field, connected on 40% of their shots from deep and shot 81.5% from the foul line. Mercy hit 41.5% of their shots, 33.3% from three-point range and only hit 59.3% of its free throws. The Mavericks outrebounded the Lions 22-21, while the home squad had the advantage in points off of turnovers (16-9) and second chance points (9-1).
Molloy controlled the pace early in the contest, while back-to-back three-pointers by Marquardt and Morris put the Lions up 10-3 a little over two minutes in.
Molloy would let an eight -oint lead slip to just two points after a 6-0 Mercy run, including two buckets by Martinez. A three-pointer by Tyseem Lyles tied the game at 14-14 with 12:02 left.
Molloy ended the half on a 10-2 run to go into the locker room up 33-22.
Out of the intermission, the Lions would start on an 8-2 run, with six points coming from Morris. Molloy extended its lead to 21 after a pair of Morris free throws went in with 5:53 elapsed in the second half.
However, the Mavericks would battle back bringing the deficit to just 11 points with under nine minutes remaining. A pair of Najee Senior free throws and a Martinez layup brought the score back to single-digits with 7:30 left (58-49). A Lions' turnover with six minutes left turned into another Senior bucket and just a seven point Mercy deficit.
With the momentum swinging, a Morris steal at the 5:36 mark led to a two-on-one fast break finished with an emphatic slam by the Amherst native that brought the Lions' lead back to double-digits. From there, Molloy would close out the contest and the 78-65 victory.
COACHING CONTRAST: Tonight marked the first time Mercy Head Coach Dr. Jody King was at Quealy Gymnasium...King is currently in his first campaign with the Mavericks, while his counterpart this evening, Coach Marquardt is in the midst of his 21st season at the helm of the Lions.
UP NEXT: Head Coach Charles Marquardt and the Lions return to Quealey Gymnasium to close out their three-game home stand on Tuesday, December 9 at 7 p.m. when Molloy hosts Bentley University at the Lions Den.
WATCH/LISTEN: If you can't make it to Quealy Gymnasium next Tuesday, tune in to the Lions Sports Network on molloylions.com where Tom Verde and Peter Papazoglou will have all the play-by-play action. LiveStats will also be available.
ON McLEOD NINE: Prior to Tuesday's game versus Bentley, McLeod will be honored and recognized for scoring his 1,000th career point...He achieved this great feat on November 19 versus Caldwell University (L, 80-77)...McLeod is the 13th Molloy player in men's basketball history to eclipse 1,000 career points.
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