ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Jan. 15, 2016) – It took a five-star caliber effort from senior forward Kimani Jackson (Dix Hills, N.Y.) to guide the Molloy College women's basketball team back into the win column on Thursday night. With the race to the East Coast Conference playoffs still in high gear, the Lions will look to get back to .500 in conference competition when they host Dowling College Saturday afternoon at Quealy Gymnasium.
The Lowdown on The Lions
Molloy improved to 4-11 and 3-4 in East Coast Conference play with a 73-61 victory over the University of Bridgeport at Hubbell Gymnasium on Thursday (Jan. 14). The aforementioned Jackson had a career night with 28 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the victory for Molloy. The senior forward went 9-for-14 from the field and hit 90% (9-10) of her foul shots in what may be one of the best performances of her career. The Lions' other three seniors paid major dividends as well, with Ally Leftridge (Melville, N.Y.) scoring 14 points and pulling down seven rebounds in the effort. Guards Alex Hampton (Baldwin, N.Y.) and Alexia O'Connor (Centerport, N.Y.) each contributed 10 points and four rebounds, with O'Connor also dishing out three assists.
Less Shots, Better Shots
The maroon and white were 23-of-51 from the field in the victory, obtaining a 45% clip in field goal shooting. Taking 51 shots may seem like a higher number, but it actually is the second-lowest number of total shot attempts for the Lions in a victory; the team's season-opening win against Bloomfield saw Molloy take 43 shots and hit 21 for a 49% percentage. A well-orchestrated offensive plan starts with an understanding of shot selection and good attempts versus bad attempts, and Molloy had an effective synergy in taking down the Purple Knights on Thursday night. Now it is all about repetition and keeping the foot on the gas pedal in connecting for another conference win.
Shantana's A Ballhawk
Continuing a pattern of success, junior guard Shantana Kanhoye (South Richmond Hill, N.Y.) tied her season-high by seeing 16 minutes of playing time for the Lions on Thursday. While Kanhoye did not contribute to the scoresheet, the junior did pull down a team-high and personal-best eight rebounds in helping her squad take the 'W' over Bridgeport. In Molloy's last five contests, Kanhoye has averaged five rebounds per game to go along with a scoring average of 4.8 PPG off the bench. It's a spark that has been well-received the Lions' coaching staff from a player whose tireless efforts in practice are creating big contributions on game days.
What's Golden About Dowling?
The Dowling College women's basketball team will come into Rockville Centre licking its wounds after an embarrassing 91-42 defeat at the hands of Queens College on Thursday night (Jan. 14). Suzi Fregosi's club surrendered the first 21 points of the contest to the Knights en route to trailing by a 33-6 margin after one period of play. Dowling was also held to a 25% (13-53) field goal percentage and a 20% (2-10) mark from three-point range while being out-rebounded by Queens 55-26 and losing the points in the paint battle by a 56-16 margin. The loss put the Golden Lions at 2-11 on the season, with the team's only wins coming against conference foes LIU Post and Mercy earlier this season.
Surlan's Special Season
While it has not exactly been the senior season that guard Krstina Surlan (Novi Grad, Bosnia) imagined, the star player in Oakdale is putting up magnificent numbers through 13 games on the 2015-16 campaign. Surlan is among the top-five players in the conference in a number of statistical categories, including points and rebounds per game, free throw percentage and minutes played per game. The Bosnian national has played 35 or more minutes in each contest dating back to a 40-minute effort versus NYIT back on Dec. 9 of this past year, and she has scored 20 or more points in six contests thus far. Surlan had 26 points to lead all scorers on Thursday night while also contributing eight rebounds to the effort.
Freshmen Stepping Up
Anytime there is a roster dominated by underclassmen, several freshmen get asked to step up and contribute immediately to the fold. Such has been the case for Dowling first-year players Julia Winnik (New York, N.Y.), Kayla Hill (Massapequa, N.Y.) and Tanna Mohammed (Huntington, N.Y.). Winnik and Hill, for example, are both averaging 9.6 points per game with the former starting in 12 contests so far this season. Hill is averaging six rebounds per contests for the Golden Lions as well. Meanwhile, Mohammed is proving to be a formidable foul shooter, hitting 81% of her tries from the free throw line. The Huntington native is currently holding averages of 8.4 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. The team's two other freshmen are also helping out, with forward Joka Oyefeso (Staten Island, N.Y.) leading the team with 24 blocks so far. Fellow frontcourt player Niki Tsiotos (Winthrop, Mass.) had seen plenty of time and is currently averaging 21.1 minutes per game for Fregosi's club.
Conference Playoff Picture
Molloy currently holds a 3-4 record in conference play as does Bridgeport, but right now the Lions hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. A win on Saturday will put the maroon and white into a tie for fifth place with St. Thomas Aquinas (4-4), as the Spartans have the weekend off due to the 11-team ECC rotation. Dowling, on the other hand, sits just behind Molloy with a 2-5 record overall. The Golden Lions are tied with LIU Post for eighth place with the tiebreaker belonging to the team from Oakdale on account of a head-to-head win earlier this year.
