Men’s Basketball Closes Out Regular Season With 72-66 Win Over NYIT

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Box Score OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (Mar. 1, 2014) – The Molloy College men's basketball team ended its regular season with a 72-66 win over the New York Institute of Technology on Saturday afternoon at Recreation Hall. The win gave Molloy a 16-12 overall record and a 13-7 record in the East Coast Conference. NYIT fell to 10-16 on the season and 8-12 in the ECC. Molloy will face Queens College in the ECC postseason tournament play-in round next Wednesday at Quealy Gymnasium.

The Lions jumped out to a 15-3 lead in the first four minutes of play, with four players contributing to the early run. Though Molloy maintained the lead over the next few minutes, NYIT began to chip away at it midway through the half. A made jump shot by Khalif Chaplin pulled NYIT within four at the 8:18 mark. Two minutes later, Erick Satchell hit a three to pull the Bears within one, 24-23. Molloy was unable to make another run, allowing NYIT to stay close for the rest of the half. But, the Lions were able to take a 36-31 advantage into halftime.

Molloy slowly built upon its lead early in the second half. Freshman guard Jaylen Morris (Amherst, N.Y.) hit a jumper at the 16:12 mark to put the Lions up 10. That lead became 15 less than four minutes later when junior guard Matt McLeod (Greenlawn, N.Y.) hit a jumper to make the score 53-38. Molloy shot 50% from the floor in the second stanza, making it difficult for NYIT to stage a comeback.

But the Bears were ready for a late push. Chaplin hit a jump shot at the 3:32 mark to pull NYIT within six. A minute later, Markus Moore put in a layup to cut the lead to four, followed by a Chaplin dunk and a made three by Kachi Nzerem that gave NYIT a 66-65 lead with 1:22 left to play.

Molloy senior forward John Petrucelli (Hicksville, N.Y.) sank two free throws to put the Lions back up one at the one-minute mark. McLeod added a layup with 38 seconds to go to widen Molloy's lead to three. NYIT was unable to respond, missing two three-point baskets, and the Lions walked away with the 72-66 victory.

Petrucelli led Molloy with 20 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals. His 20 points brings his career total to 1,983 -- 17 points from the elite 2,000 club. McLeod added 15 points and nine rebounds.

Moore contributed 23 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists for NYIT.

UP NEXT: Head Coach Charles Marquardt and the Lions will next compete for the East Coast Conference crown in the league playoffs. In the play-in round of the ECC postseason tournament, Molloy will host Queens College at Quealy Gymnasium on Wednesday, March 5 at 7 p.m. LiveStats and an audio/video broadcast will be available at MolloyLions.com, with the pre-game show beginning at 6:45 p.m.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter: @MolloyLions | Facebook: Molloy College Athletics | YouTube: Molloy Lions

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Men’s Basketball Closes Out Regular Season With 72-66 Win Over NYIT