Box Score BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Mar. 4, 2015) - This evening, the No. 5 Molloy College men's basketball team fell to No. 4 LIU Post, 68-60, in the East Coast Conference Championship Tournament Quarterfinal. The loss drops Molloy to 16-13 overall and concludes its 2014-15 campaign. With the win, the Pioneers improve to 17-12 and move on to face No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas College in the ECC Semifinal round.
In the first half, Molloy and LIU Post were off to fast starts, showcasing incredible offenses. For the better part of the period, both squads' field goal percentages were in the 60%-65% range. The Lions had a fair handle on the game, maintaining a small lead throughout. In that first stanza, both squads finished with the exact same floor percentage (41.9%), as well as the same number of baskets made and shots taken (13 for 31). The opening half ended in thrilling fashion as the Lions were trailing 35-34. Following a steal with seven seconds left, Molloy junior point guard
Brandon Williams (Baldwin, N.Y.) hurried the ball up the court and due to the game clock winding down, was forced to throw up a shot from somewhere in between the halfcourt line and the three-point line. Williams sunk the incredible shot as the buzzer went off, giving his team a 37-35 lead heading into the locker room for halftime.
The second half of the game told a different story as if one just looked at the 20 minutes following halftime, the Pioneers scored 33 points to Molloy's 22. LIU Post kept up its field goal pace with a shooting clip of 44.8% in the second stanza, while the Lions saw theirs dip to 34.6%. Molloy went 0 for 7 from three-point land and only stepped up to the free throw line eight times. The second half had three scoring ties, but LIU Post never relinquished the lead from 14:03 onwards. The Pioneers' largest advantage of the contest came at the 4:47 mark when they led by 12 points.
For Molloy, Williams led the team with 16 ponts, while fellow junior guard
Maurice Gatson (New York, N.Y.) scored 11. This game marks the final time in a Lions' uniform for seniors
Matt McLeod (Greenlawn, N.Y.),
Richard Zoller (Syosset, N.Y.) and
Miles Prendergast (Bayport, N.Y.).
The Pioneers were paced by P.J. Torres and his 18 points, while Tyuan Williams contributed 14.
This now wraps up the 2014-15 campaign for the Molloy College men's basketball squad. Please stay tuned to MolloyLions.com and @MolloyLions on Twitter for all the program's offseason news, notes and updates.
