ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Jan. 22, 2016) – The two-game winning streak for the Molloy College women's basketball team came to a screeching halt on the opening leg of the team's annual Western New York swing. Now the Lions must attempt to get into the win column by springing an upset of a Roberts Wesleyan team that has won 82% of its contests so far this season.
The Lowdown on the Lions
Calling the maroon and white's 87-68 loss to cellar-dweller Daemen on Friday night in Amherst a bump in the road does not dictate the full story of what happened in Lumsden Gymnasium. The Lions trailed in the contest by 18 points at halftime and could not find the touch from three-point range, shooting a frosty 22.7% from deep. Molloy was also unsuccessful in stopping the host Wildcats from dominating the paint with a 52-29 rebounding margin favoring Daemen that included the Lions allowing 17 offensive rebounds in the loss. Despite the outcome, senior forward Ally Leftridge (Melville, N.Y.) scored a game-high 23 points while fellow fourth-year frontcourt mate Kimani Jackson (Dix Hills, N.Y.) added 16 points to reach a total of 800 for her career.
Un-Friendly Confines
They say that the hardest place to win a game in any sport is a game that is on the road in front of the fans of your opponents. It is what separates the teams that can make the postseason push to those squads that think they can make the postseason push. It has been a struggle for the maroon and white this season, especially in games where the team's point totals get put up on the "visitors" side of the scoreboard. In games away from Rockville Centre and not on neutral courts, the Lions are just 2-8 with a 2-4 record in ECC play on the road. What may play into the hands of Molloy is that after Saturday's contest, seven of the team's final ten games are at Quealy Gymnasium.
Perlmutter Makes Immediate Impacts
Junior forward Brianna Perlmutter (Brooklyn, N.Y.) made her return to the hardwood on Friday night after missing the Lions' first few games of the month of January. But Perlmutter looked as if she did not miss a beat, scoring 10 points and adding six rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench. The Brooklyn native was 4-for-8 from the field and also contributed with a block, steal and assist. Perlmutter's production may be critical for the maroon and white down the stretch if the Lions want to continue playing through early March.
From the Redhawks' Perch
The 14-3 Redhawks of Roberts Wesleyan College led Queens College on Friday by a 27-24 margin at the halftime break, but the Knights opened the second half on an 8-0 run that could have put the game on ice for the visitors. The Redhawks battled back in the contest---which could be a harbinger of things to come in March at the East Coast Conference Championship in Washington, D.C. ---but ultimately it was the visitors that left Voller Athletic Center victorious. The final score favored the Knights, 66-56, in a contest where the teams shot a combined 3-for-27 (11.1%) from beyond the three-point line.
Fields of Gold
Roberts Wesleyan is a team with many weapons from six-foot-three senior forward Samantha Courtney (Marathon, N.Y.) to sharpshooting sophomore guard Lucy Covley (Fairport, N.Y.). But it is the play of fellow sophomore guard Brooke Fields (Owings Mills, Md.) that is turning heads and dropping jaws among East Coast Conference scouts and viewers. Versus Queens on Friday, Fields dumped in 19 points and had three rebounds for Gary Andrews's club on a night in which she shot 6-of-9 from the field. The sophomore is averaging a team-high 34.3 minutes per game, scoring nearly 16 points per contest for the Redhawks. Fields may not be the highest-scoring member of the Redhawks, but she could definitely be the most dangerous member of the crew to watch out for.
Who Did You Play?
A 14-3 record that includes a 72-65 win over Division I Cleveland State University (albeit in an exhibition game) may look impressive on the surface. But a deeper look at the schedule for Roberts Wesleyan indicates that there may be some more important stats to look at when it comes to wins versus losses. Thus far, the Redhawks' three losses have been to three of the semifinalists from last year's East Coast Conference Tournament (UDC, NYIT, Queens). Of the team's victories, only one (a 60-49 win versus Saint Thomas Aquinas on Jan. 9) came against a team that is or has been inside the top-10 of the D2SIDA East Region Media Poll. Wins may in fact be impressive, but when they come against teams such as Nyack (6-10 overall), Post University (0-18 overall) and three schools from the NCAA Division III (St. John Fisher, William Smith and SUNY Geneseo), appearances may be deceiving.
Conference Playoff Picture
Despite the losses, both Roberts Wesleyan and Molloy are in somewhat good slots in the current ECC standings. The Redhawks, at 6-3, are well behind UDC and NYIT for the top-2 spots but still hold an edge over Queens and Saint Thomas Aquinas for third overall. Meanwhile, Molloy is at 4-5 in ECC play with Bridgeport (3-5) trailing close behind; the Lions hold the current tiebreaker over the Purple Knights by virtue of last Thursday's victory at Hubbell Gymnasium.
