ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Jan. 22, 2016) – The hole to climb out of for the Molloy men's basketball team has gotten a bit deeper, with the Lions now sitting in a four-game losing skid as the squad faces Roberts Wesleyan on Saturday (Jan. 23) at the Voller Athletic Center in Rochester.
The Lowdown on the Lions
Junior guard Charlie Marquardt (Rockaway Beach, N.Y.) scored 24 of his team's 64 points in an 81-64 loss to Daemen College on Friday night in Amherst. Similar to last Saturday's loss against Dowling, the Lions were held in check from three-point range as Marquardt hit 4-of-14 from deep territory; the rest of the team shot just 1-for-12 from beyond the three-point arc. Daemen utilized fortuitous luck to string a couple of runs over the course of the first half to build an 11-point lead, and then a 20-point lead in the second half of action.
Okunpolor's Breakout Night
Freshman forward Derrick Okunpolor (Lynbrook, N.Y.) had been a role player for the Lions for much of the season going into Friday's game. Against the Wildcats of Daemen though, Okunpolor scored eight points in 10 minutes of action and provided a nice spark off of the bench despite the loss. The freshman could see more time on the court for the maroon and white with continued performances like the one he had in Amherst.
Williams v. Gatson
Senior guards Brandon Williams (Baldwin, N.Y.) and Maurice Gatson (New York, N.Y.) have been teammates for four seasons, with one starting since his freshman season and the other just getting his chances in the starting lineup. Williams crossed the 1,000-point plateau earlier this season, but versus Daemen he went just 3-for-11 shooting from the field. Meanwhile, Gatson had scored his career-high in points with 18 versus Queens last week; but he did not score any points against the Wildcats on Friday. The maroon and white need their guards to play well in order to be successful, because when the floor generals are having an off night, the team tends to follow suit.
Redhawks' Lookout
The Roberts Wesleyan men's basketball team won its fifth game of the season and second in conference play by knocking off Queens College on Friday with a 77-66 final score. Sophomore forward Malik Dare (Cohoes, N.Y.) scored a team-high 17 points and added seven rebounds while shooting 7-for-9 from the field in the victory. The Redhawks squeaked by with a plus-one rebounding edge, but Mike McCoy's club shot the ball extremely well in hitting 49% (26-53) of its field goal attempts. Senior guard Tyrel Dixon (Tobyhanna, Pa.) added 13 points and dished out a team-best eight assists.
Finding A Robin for Roberts' Batman
Dixon has been the leader of the team with 14.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest for Roberts Wesleyan. The main question for most of the season has been who will serve as the second option for the Redhawks, with a number of different possibilities. Aside from Dare, freshmen guards Quinn Carey (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) and Zack Panebianco (Jamestown, N.Y.) are the next-highest scorers for the squad with both averaging over 12 points per game. Roberts has an assortment of role players with two freshmen and a sophomore leading the way to serve as the sidekick---for now---to the senior Dixon for this season.
Little Brother Sees Some Time, Too
Junior guard Darren Dixon (Tobyhanna, Pa.) may not get the acclaim that Tyrel has been receiving for Roberts Wesleyan this season. That being said, he has been a consistent starter for Mike McCoy and while his numbers are not all that impressive, it's the intangibles that he is providing. Dixon played 13 solid minutes in the win over Queens on Friday, scoring five points with two steals and not turning the ball over at all. The least you can ask of a basketball player is the ability to take constant care of the basketball and so far, Dixon has done a decent job of protecting the rock from opponents and adversaries alike.
Conference Playoff Picture
This game features two teams that are currently tied for ninth in the East Coast Conference standings at 2-7 in ECC play. That is a full game ahead of last-place NYIT, and not a game with playoff implications as of yet. A win on either side will still leave the squad behind Queens College (3-5) and well behind Mercy College (4-5) for sixth place overall in the conference standings. But a win by either side could start the momentum train for the victor and possibly propel them to a shock playoff berth.
