Molloy University Athletics

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Nov. 19, 2015) - Three games in three days provided the Molloy College men's basketball team with an endurance test against quality opponents to open the 2015-16 season. Despite starting the season 0-3, the Lions are a hungry team that will look to appease its ravenous fan base at Quealy Gymnasium on Thursday (Nov. 19) as the maroon and white host Caldwell University in the first game in Rockville Centre of the new season.

The Lowdown on the Lions:
Molloy comes in with three losses to start the season, including Monday night's 96-64 defeat at Hofstra, but positives abound for the Lions team that was picked fifth in the East Coast Conference preseason poll. For starters, the maroon and white have three players average double figures in points, led by a 19.7 points-per-game average from junior guard and ECC Week 1 Honor Roll inductee Jaylen Morris (Amherst, N.Y.). Senior guard Brandon Williams (Baldwin, N.Y.) is continuing to impress through three games, averaging six points, nearly six rebounds and four assists per contest. Sophomore combo guard Curtis Jenkins (Farmingdale, N.Y.) has been a stellar addition for the squad with an average of almost 11 points per game on a 48% efficiency rating from the field. Against the Pride, freshman forward Mike Torre (Massapequa, N.Y.) turned some heads by scoring 10 points off the bench and hitting four field goals in six attempts. Senior forward Kevin Bowles (Wantagh, N.Y.) emerged as well for the maroon and white hitting all four of his shots including three three-pointers in achieving an 11-point outing. The Lions are also a team that can hold onto the basketball well, committing an average of five turnovers less than their opponents so far this season.

Red Flags in Rockville Centre:
However, there are areas of concern for Molloy going into Thursday night's contest with the Caldwell Cougars, specifically on the defensive end. The Lions yielded 102, 84 and 96 points, respectively, in their first three games and are giving up a 54% field goal efficiency from opponents, including a 48% rating from three-point range. While the maroon and white are also minus-18 in the rebounding margin to begin the season, that can be looked at as a product of the four-guard set the Lions are running to get their legs underneath them in the 2015-16 campaign. 

Triple 'C' Time: Caldwell Cougars Classified
Caldwell started the year with two exhibitions, getting smoked by Division I opponents Notre Dame (81-56) and DePaul (82-52). The Cougars then took part in the Northeast-10 Conference Challenge last weekend and fell to both Merrimack (91-69) and Bentley (80-63). In need of some home cooking, the Cougars knocked off an East Coast Conference opponent in NYIT on Tuesday (Nov. 17) by an 80-60 score. Seniors Dawan Lighty (Paterson, N.J.) and Billy McDonald (North Haven, Conn.) scored 17 points apiece to lead Caldwell to its first victory of the season. Freshman guard Ahmad Harrison (Newark, N.J.) played 15 minutes off the bench and had an all-around effort with two points, four rebounds, three assists and four steals.

Baby, It's Cold Outside
Both teams have been having their issues shooting long-range field goals through three contests this year. Molloy has launched 80 attempts so far this season from deep, hitting just 27 of them for a 34% efficiency rating. That is still better than Caldwell is shooting, however, as the Cougars are hitting just 30% (17-56) of their trifectas. Both teams have watched their main sharpshooters get off to an icy start to the 2015-16 season, as well. For the maroon and white, junior Charlie Marquardt (Rockaway Beach, N.Y.) has started off 9-for-34 (27%) after hitting 38% of his tries last season. In the meantime, Caldwell has watched their main marksman---senior guard Dawan Lighty---hit just 8 of his first 22 attempts from deep range.

A Stripe Full of Charity?
Curiously, Molloy has started off relatively slow from the one place where the Lions can earn free points: the foul line. Aside from Marquardt (8-8) and senior Maurice Gatson (New York, N.Y.), who has hit all three of his foul shots, the Lions are shooting 50% (16-32) from the free-throw line to open the year. Factoring in Marquardt and Gatson, the maroon and white have hit 63% of their attempts from the stripe which is a full 14 percentage points lower than how Molloy ended last season (77.3%).

History of the Matchup
It was, ironically, on this date last season that Molloy and Caldwell met for the first time snice 2008. Despite a 22-point night from Williams and a 17-point effort off the bench from Bowles, the Cougars got the last laugh in an 80-77 win at the George R. Newman Center in The Garden State. Caldwell was victorious thanks to Lighty's game-high 23 points, while now-graduated senior Michael Balkovic bullied the Lions down low for a 12-point, 17-rebound effort. Incidentally, Molloy defeated Caldwell back in 2008 by a 72-67 score in a game that also took place in New Jersey.