Box Score SPARKILL, N.Y. (Nov. 15, 2015) - The Molloy College men's basketball team led by as much as 24 points in the second half of their battle with Saint Michael's Sunday (Nov. 15) at the Saint Thomas Aquinas Classic, but the Purple Knights summoned enough spirit to mount a late comeback in upending the Lions, 84-79, at Aquinas Hall. Molloy falls to 0-2 on the young season while Saint Michael's---winners of three meetings in the last four with the maroon and white---are now 1-1 in 2015-16.
Molloy opened the contest strong, just as it did against Saint Anselm one night before. Junior
Charlie Marquardt (Rockaway Beach, N.Y.) bookended an 11-2 run with three-pointers as the Lions built an 18-2 lead in the first five minutes of the game. After a three-pointer by senior guard
Brandon Williams (Baldwin, N.Y.) gave Molloy a 21-4 edge, the Purple Knights chipped away at the Lions' lead with a 12-0 spurt to come back to within five points. Junior guard
Jaylen Morris (Amherst, N.Y.) stopped the rally with a thunderous two-hand slam dunk which was followed by a lay-up from
Maurice Gatson (New York, N.Y.) and a long-range trifecta by freshman guard
Chris O'Reilly (Colts Neck, N.J.). The maroon and white led 30-18 on a jumper from sophomore
Curtis Jenkins (Farmingdale, N.Y.), but the Purple Knights again showcased a resiliency to scratch and claw back into the contest, going on a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to three points at the seven-minute mark of the opening frame. The Lions took a nine-point lead into the halftime break at 44-35 on a Morris three-ball following a triple from Purple Knights guard Greg Grippo (Edison, N.J.).
The momentum from the first half carried over into the second for the Lions, who opened the stanza with a 10-0 run capped off by a Marquardt three to give Molloy a 54-35 edge. Four minutes into the second half, Morris buried a trifecta to give the Lions their largest lead at 24 points, 60-36. Suddenly, though, the game begin to slip ever so slightly from the grasp of the maroon and white. Saint Michael's went on an 11-1 run in the next three minutes to come within 14 at 61-47 on a lay-in from Matt Bonds (Accokeek, Md.). Marquardt hit back-to-back trebles to put the Lions back ahead by 20 points but the Purple Knights went on a 13-2 rally to cut the deficit back to single digits at 69-60 with 8:49 to play. The Lions continued to grasp a stranglehold on the lead, as two Jenkins free throws gave the maroon and white an 12-point lead with 5:13 to go in the game. That would set the stage for the Purple Knights to grab the lead in dramatic fashion, spreading out on a 15-1 run to close the contest as Molloy failed to respond in kind. Bonds had ten of the 15 points for the NE-10 representative in the contest, with Grippo contributing four points as the Purple Knights pulled away with the victory.
Morris collected 22 points for the second straight contest with ten rebounds to collect a double-double on the stat sheet. Marquardt had 20 points, including six three-pointers while Jenkins added 14 for the Lions. Williams played well with nine points, nine assists and seven rebounds and
Kevin Bowles (Wantagh, N.Y.) chipped in with nine points and nine rebounds as well. The maroon and white shot 39.7% (29-73) from the field but struggled with a 47% (8-17) clip from the free throw line. The Lions were also outrebounded by a 51-35 margin in the contest. Bonds finished with a game-high 27 points and 18 rebounds, while Grippo collected 21 points and a team-best five assists in the win.
Molloy will play on Monday (Nov. 16)---its third game in three days---in a Division I/II crossover with Hofstra University in Hempstead. Opening tip-off from the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex is set for 7 p.m.
