Molloy University Athletics

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Dec. 9, 2015) - After an early-season non-conference stretch of games that featured the Molloy College women's basketball team facing three top-10 opponents in the East Region, the battle-tested Lions will open conference play Wednesday night (Dec. 9) by taking on a familiar foe in Mercy College. The maroon and white have seen the Mavericks before, as both teams were participants in the CACC-ECC Challenge to open the season back on Nov. 13-14 in Wilmington, Del.

The Lowdown on the Lions
After a season-opening victory over Bloomfield College, the maroon and white have lost four straight gritty contests. Most recently, the Lions were defeated by Pace University on Nov. 29 in the team's home opener by a score of 78-46. Senior forward Ally Leftridge (Melville, N.Y.) led the Lions with 11 points while guards Alexia O'Connor (Centerport, N.Y.) and Ihnacinse Grady (Amityville, N.Y.) added eight apiece. Molloy shot 26% (14-54) from the field, while the Setters blistered the Lions' defense for a 51% outing, hitting 32 field goals in 63 attempts.

Bench Contributors Showing Promise
The starting five for the Lions has been the same through the first five games: Leftridge, O'Connor, Grady, and seniors Kimani Jackson (Dix Hills, N.Y.) and Alex Hampton (Baldwin, N.Y.). But against Pace, the maroon and white had some promising signs from their bench players despite the losing effort. Sophomore guard Aliyah McDonald (Hempstead, N.Y.) had five points in 18 minutes, while junior Brianna Perlmutter (Brooklyn, N.Y.) contributed four points and a team-high six rebounds. Junior guard Shantana Kanhoye (South Richmond Hill, N.Y.) made the most of her 12 minutes of play with four points, five rebounds and an assist and freshman guard/forward Bridget Sharnick (Shelton, Conn.) collected a three-pointer in five minutes of action for the Lions.

Field Goal Percentage Freeze-Out
In the Lions' last three games, the basketball gods have not been smiling kindly on the maroon and white when it comes to field goal shooting. Molloy is shooting 47-of-171 (27.5%) from the field in losses to Southern New Hampshire, Merrimack and Pace. The Lions are also having difficulties at the free-throw line, making 60% (27-45) of their attempts in the last three contests. The one positive for Molloy is that the Lions have been in the plus-column of the turnover battle in four out of the team's first five games, showing signs of ball-handling prowess.


Mercy's Main Points
Mercy College is 2-5 to start the season, with wins coming over CACC opponents Felician University and Chestnut Hill College, most recently. Five players scored double-figure point totals for the Mavericks in the win, led by an 18-point, 14-rebound performance from senior center Deasia Goodson (Freeport, N.Y.). Freshman forward Cynthia Perez (Middle Village, N.Y.) contributed with 14 points off the bench while Latisha Clark (Peekskill, N.Y.) and Paxton Reddington (Holmdel, N.J.) each had 10 points in the win. The Mavericks are also 0-1 to start the season in ECC play with a loss last Wednesday (Dec. 2) at LIU Post by a score of 63-55. 

Second-Half Mavericks
Sometimes, it takes teams a while to get into contests and warm up. That may be the case for Mercy, as the Mavericks are currently being outscored by opponents 112-87 in the first quarter of games. The statistics go further as first-half scores favor Mercy's opponents by a count of 208-182 with a total of 474 points scored by opposing teams to the Mavs' 398. Despite this total, Goodson is averaging a double-double with 11.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest.

Rivalry Dates Back To Disco Era
The first meeting between Mercy and Molloy was on Jan. 18, 1979. The Mavericks picked up a 95-84 win over the Lions, which sent them on a five-game winning streak. More recently, however, Molloy has claimed the edge as the Lions hold a 44-31 series lead over their opponents from Dobbs Ferry. Mercy's last victory in the rivalry was on Feb. 19, 2011 in a 77-63 triumph that was one of just four conference victories and six total wins for the Mavs in the 2010-11 campaign.