ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Jan. 12, 2016) - Following a comfortable 20-point win on Saturday (Jan. 9) over NYIT, the Molloy College men's basketball team is attempting to keep the good times rolling. The Lions can increase their winning streak to two games with a victory Tuesday night (Jan. 12) against the Knights of Queens College in Flushing at 7:30 p.m.
The Lowdown on the LionsMolloy scored 50 first-half points en route to an 88-68 victory over NYIT on Saturday at Quealy Gymnasium, thanks to another dominant performance by junior guard
Jaylen Morris (Amherst, N.Y.). Morris collected his seventh double-double of the season and almost turned it into a triple-double with 27 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. It was the second-highest point total for the Amherst native this season, as he poured in 28 points versus Saint Thomas Aquinas College back on Dec. 12. Meanwhile, fellow junior
Charlie Marquardt (Rockaway Beach, N.Y.) scored 17 points and totaled eight rebounds with three assists to boot. The Lions bullied their way around the paint, showcasing a plus-16 (48-32) point advantage over the Bears in a wire-to-wire victory.
Gatson Gives Quality MinutesSenior guard
Maurice Gatson (New York, N.Y.) earned his first career start on Saturday following an effort against LIU Post on Wednesday (Jan. 6) in which he netted a career-high 16 points off the bench. The four-year Lion responded with a 13-point effort, hitting six-of-seven shots from the field over 24 minutes of playing time. Gatson also collected two assists, two rebounds and two steals in the victory. It has been a breakout season for the New York native, who has hit double-figures in point totals five times and is sporting averages of 6.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, along with a 43.5% (30-69) efficiency rating from field goal shooting. Gatson has parlayed his performances into a starting role and is still a viable option for the maroon and white as the team's sixth man and first player off the bench.
Marquardt Returning To Form From Free-Throw LineIf opposing teams foul a Molloy player in the act of shooting and that player happens to wear No. 32 in white (or No. 24 in maroon), it is pretty much a given consensus that the Lions will score points when Marquardt steps to the foul line. The junior is 19-of-20 (95%) from the free throw line so far this season, and he has hit his last 11 shots from the stripe. The Rockaway Beach native has prided himself on knocking down the freebies for most of his career and with the roll that he is currently on, putting him at the stripe is a dangerous proposition.
Knight Time, Day TimeQueens College has split its last six games in a win-loss-win-loss-win-loss pattern, with the Knights falling at LIU Post on Saturday (Jan. 9) by an 81-66 final score. Junior guard Diego Maldonado (Valley Stream, N.Y.) had 17 points to lead the Knights while junior forward Tyree White (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored 15 points and had nine rebounds with five assists as well.
Murphy's Struggles From ThreeJunior guard Carson Murphy (Mohawk, N.Y.) has been a positive addition for Queens College, as his six-foot-seven frame provides a difficult matchup for smaller opponents. But Murphy has also been a detriment to himself thus far, as he is shooting 8% (2-24) from three-point territory and 34% (22-65) from the field on the whole. Versus LIU Post, the junior scored 11 points with three rebounds, but he also fouled out of the contest after shooting just 1-for-6 from three-point land. His willingness to shoot the ball has both positive and negative effects on Daryl Jacobs' crew, and the Knights may need him to pass first instead of shooting so often to get the victory.
