Molloy University Athletics

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Dec. 18, 2015) – After losing their last two matchups, the Molloy College men's basketball team is looking for some kind of spark to end the 2015 calendar year on the right note. The maroon and white will get that chance Sunday (Dec. 20) when the team travels to Pleasantville, N.Y. to face NE-10 and former NYCAC foe Pace University at 1:30 p.m.

The Lowdown on the Lions
Through nine games into the season, the Lions have two wins and seven losses, while currently on a two game losing streak. The maroon and white also have one win and two losses in East Coast Conference matches. Molloy's last loss against the University of the District of Columbia on Wednesday (Dec. 16) was a result of poor foul shooting by the team, a rarity for the team. The team hit just two free throws in six attempts (33.3%) through forty minutes of play. The mistakes caught up to them, losing 79-70.

Bound for Glory
Senior guard Brandon Williams (Baldwin, N.Y.) is crawling closer to 1,000 career points after the Lions' matchup against UDC. The Baldwin native scored 22 points for Molloy on Wednesday. With 971 points for his career, Williams is 29 points away from being the 14th member of the 1,000-point club in Molloy Men's basketball history. Averaging 11.8 points per game, Williams has two more away games to reach the mark, against the aforementioned Pace University and Bentley University on Dec. 30. If the senior is not able to make history on the road, he will have a chance to do it at home when the Lions return to Quealy Gymnasium on Jan. 6 against ECC rival LIU Post. That would be quite a way to lead off the New Year.  

Around the Block
In the Lions matchup against UDC, senior forward Kevin Bowles (Wantagh, NY) led the team with four blocks. The Wantagh native is having a block party this season, leading the maroon and white with 16 and producing 1.8 blocks per game. The senior's efforts, plus his teammates', are enough to help lead the Lions in blocking over opponents 40-to-39. If you are facing the Lions, you are not welcome into the party; Bowles will make sure of that. 

Keeping the Pace
Pace University has enjoyed a 5-5 season so far under first year head coach Matt Healing. That may not seem like a great record, but when you consider how Pace finished last year's campaign (5-23, 1-19 NE-10), any improvement on that record is a positive step for this Setters ballclub. Pace enjoyed a three-game winning streak up until its last contest, an 84-74 defeat to ninth-ranked Southern Connecticut State on Dec. 12. Freshman guard/forward Ryan Peterson (Wethersfield, Conn.) had a team-high 20 points for the Setters, hitting 7-of-13 from the field.

Sharing is Caring
The young Setters have five freshmen on the team and only two seniors.Four Setters are averaging over 10 points per game, culminating in a representation of sound-minded sharing of the basketball that has guided Pace to its five wins thus far. Peterson is the team's leading scorer, averaging 15.3 points per contest and sophomore guard Bryan Rivers (West Windsor, N.J.) has 11.1 points per game. It represents not only a youth movement for the Setters on the court, but it also can be attributed to the youth movement on the sidelines. With Healing in his first season as the head man in Pleasantville along with first-year assistants Ed Ryan (Caldwell) and Andrew Cobian (NYIT), Pace is positioning itself to make an effort to come back into the fold of power in the Northeast-10.

Matchup History
In only a few matchups dating back from the 2003-2004 season, Pace leads Molloy 4-1 in collegiate play. Molloy's one win, however, was the most recent matchup between the two squads as the Lions took a 59-57 decision over the Setters in last year's Saint Thomas Aquinas Classic on Nov. 15, 2014
 
Hail To The Heroes
Much like Molloy has hosted games in the past few years to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, the Lions' date with the Setters is a special day for some important fans. Sunday at the Goldstein Fitness Center will be First Responders' Day, a day in which all active and retired police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and their families, will be admitted into the game for free. Pace University has planned several major promotional dates this season, including days for military veterans, 80s enthusiasts and alumni nights in both Pleasantville and New York City.