Box Score ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Feb. 15, 2014) – On Saturday afternoon, the Molloy College men's basketball team defeated St. Thomas Aquinas College, 92-83 in an East Coast Conference-matchup at Quealy Gymnasium. With the win, the Lions improved to 14-10 overall and 11-5 in the ECC. The Spartans fell to 11-11 on the season and 7-9 in the league.
The two teams stayed roughly even throughout the first half, tying the game nine times in just the first 20 minutes of play. Molloy shot 47.4% from the floor to the Spartans' 41.4%. But the difference came at the foul line: St. Thomas Aquinas went 10-for-14 in the first stanza, while the Lions didn't attempt a free throw. Despite this, Molloy held a 41-38 lead at halftime.
St. Thomas Aquinas quickly tied the score at the opening of the second half. For the next six minutes, the Lions and Spartans traded baskets, with St. Thomas Aquinas regaining the lead at the 13:59 mark. But the Spartans weren't up for long. A lay-up by Molloy freshman guard
Jaylen Morris (Amherst, N.Y.) tied the game at the 13:18 mark. Less than a minute later, another lay-up by junior forward/center
Richard Zoller (Syosset, N.Y.) put the Lions up for good.
Senior forward
John Petrucelli (Hicksville, N.Y.) exploded in the second half, scoring 16 of his team-high 22 points. He went 6-for-10 from the floor and 4-for-6 from the foul line. The Lions were also boosted by Zoller, who contributed 10 points and eight rebounds in the half. As a team, Molly outrebounded the Spartans 25-16 in the second stanza, and scored 18 more points in the paint, on the way to the 92-83 victory.
Zoller finished the game with 18 points and 10 rebounds for Molloy. Junior guard
Matt McLeod (Greenlawn, N.Y.) contributed 16 points and eight rebounds.
Alushula Odongo scored a game-high 27 points for St. Thomas Aquinas and added seven rebounds, two steals and one block.
UP NEXT: Head Coach
Charles Marquardt and the Lions will host the University of the District of Columbia on Saturday, February 22. The opening tipoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. LiveStats and an audio/video broadcast will be available through www.MolloyLions.com. Prior to the game, the Lions' pair of seniors,
John Petrucelli and
Tyler Hammett, will be honored.
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