Box Score ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Jan. 30, 2015) - The Molloy College women's basketball team overcame a 20-point halftime deficit to defeat Daemen College tonight, 83-81, and win their third-straight game. The win improves the Lions to 8-10 overall and 4-7 in East Coast Conference play, while Daemen falls to 8-9 and 5-6 in league action. The triumph marks the first time the Lions have defeated the Wildcats since they joined the conference.
In the first half, the Lions were outscored 55-35 at halftime. The visiting Wildcats shot 54.5% from the floor and hit 9 of 15 three-point attempts. The Lions trailed by as many as 22 points at the 0:33 mark in the first stanza after a made trey by Raeann Stilwell.
In the second period, it was a completely different story as the Lions would fight back to eventually take the lead at the 2:13 minute mark after a successful free throw attempt from senior guard/forward
Nicole Arnone (Staten Island, N.Y.). Molloy went on a 21-6 run at one point during the second half to cut the deficit to seven. The Wildcats trimmed the lead to one after a layup from Sarah Saba, but the Lions continued to battle and eventually win the game after a layup from junior guard/forward
Kimani Jackson (Dix Hills, N.Y.) fell. The Lions also added a free throw that sealed the win with 10 seconds to play.
In the second half, the Lions incredibly outscored the Wildcats 48 to 26 by shooting 53.1% -- as opposed to Daemen shooting 33% from the field. The Lions also forced 23 Wildcat turnovers in the second half.
The Lions were paced by sophomore guard
Aliyah McDonald (Hempstead, N.Y.), who scored a career-high 22 points (8-14 shooting from the field) and added nine rebounds -- just missing a double-double. Three other Lions joined her in double figures: Jackson finished with 13 points, Arnone added 14 points, nine rebounds and three steals, and junior guard
Alexia O'Connor (Centerport, N.Y.) contributed 10 points.
The Wildcats were led by Stillwell, who finished with a team-high 21 points. She went 5-7 from downtown and added five rebounds and five assists.
Head Coach
Kate Lynch and the Lions look to make it four-straight when they host Roberts Wesleyan College tomorrow at 12 p.m. from Quealy Gymanisum.
