Box Score AMHERST, N.Y. (Jan. 22, 2016) – The Molloy College women's basketball team escaped the wrath of Winter Storm Jonas but was unable to snap out of a cold spell in an 87-68 loss to Daemen College on Friday (Jan. 22) in Amherst, N.Y. Only three players scored in the first half for Molloy, which dropped to 5-12 and 4-5 in East Coast Conference play this season. Meanwhile, Daemen (4-11, 2-7 ECC) shot a blistering 46% from three-point range in the opening two quarters, taking advantage of eight miscues by the Lions and turning them into 17 points at Lumsden Gymnasium.
The host side opened the scoring with a minute and 10 seconds gone by in the first quarter, as junior guard Leah McDonnell (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) hit a three-pointer to put the Wildcats on the board with a 3-0 advantage. Molloy was able to respond with back-to-back jumpers by O'Connor, the latter of which came off of a steal by fellow senior Kimani Jackson (Dix Hills, N.Y.). Daemen re-took the lead on a bucket by senior forward Somara Colon (Bronx, N.Y.) with 7:39 to play in the first and traded the one-point margin with their opponents as both Ally Leftridge (Melville, N.Y.) and Sarah Saba (Lancaster, N.Y.) scored two-pointers. Saba's bucket started an 8-0 run that saw the sophomore forward score five straight points and add a block, which led to a three-pointer from Natalie Galus (Hamburg, N.Y.) on the other end. The trifecta put the Wildcats out in front, 13-6, with 4:44 remaining in the first half but Leftridge ensured that the margin would come crashing back to terra firma. Two free throws and a three-ball from the Melville native brought the Lions within two points at 13-11 at the four-minute mark. Molloy would put up a conscious effort throughout the remainder of the frame, but the Wildcats built up a seven-point edge in the final minute of the quarter thanks to sophomore center Liz Miles (Cicero, N.Y.) and senior guard Raeann Stilwell (Cheektowaga, N.Y.). Stilwell launched a three-pointer to put the Wildcats up 20-13, a margin that increased to eight points on a free throw as the stanza expired.
Molloy did not open the second quarter strongly, giving up a quick turnover that led to an easy lay-up by junior guard Jesse DeWaters (Lockport, N.Y.). Daemen led 23-13 with nine minutes to play in the half, but O'Connor responded with a three to cut the Wildcats' rally short. Junior forward Brianna Perlmutter (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored on a lay-up with 7:18 remaining in the second and Leftridge followed with a three-point play in bringing her squad within two points at 23-21. Again, Daemen found a way to respond as this time it would be Galus draining a treble with six-and-a-half minutes left in the half. Perlmutter rattled home a jumper to cut the opponents' lead to five points at 28-23, but Saba made her presence felt with four straight points to give her side a nine-point edge. Foul shots put Daemen ahead by 11 points at 34-23 with under three minutes to play in the half, and the Wildcats would induce a rally to grab a 43-25 lead into the halftime break.
The Lions attempted to rally back into the contest out of the locker room, with Jackson scoring her first two points to open the third period of play. Later in the quarter, Leftridge nailed a three-pointer with 6:34 to play in bringing the maroon and white within a 47-34 score-line. She would hit a lay-up and with a three-point play from Jackson, the Lions were within ten points at 49-39 with five-and-a-half minutes to go in the frame. That would last until McDonnell buried a long-distance jumper mere seconds later, with Jackson and Saba trading lay-ups afterwards. Daemen led the contest 54-41 with just over four minutes left on the clock in the third, and the lead swelled to sixteen points on the heels of a Stilwell trey. The Wildcats continued to shoot with pace, ending the third quarter with a 50% clip from beyond the three-point arc and a 66-48 lead.
Daemen's double-digit rebounding advantage proved to be critical throughout much of the contest as Molloy could not keep the Wildcats off of the offensive glass. The Lions had the game down to a 14-point deficit with 8:38 to play until DeWaters missed a three-pointer that was rebounded and put back in by sophomore guard Taylor Heinold (Hamburg, N.Y.) to give the hosts a 71-55 lead. Off the bench for Molloy, freshman forward Bridget Sharnick (Shelton, Conn.) logged some crucial minutes and hit a three-pointer as well. But there was just too much of Saba for the maroon and white to handle as she put the game officially away with a jumper to make it a 75-61 margin with five minutes to play, and Molloy would end the night surrendering the most points it has all season to an opponent.
Leading the Lions in the loss was Leftridge, who finished with a game-high 23 points on an 8-for-16 shooting performance from the field. Jackson added 16 points for the maroon and white, crossing an important career threshold as she has now scored 800 points over her four years in a Molloy uniform. Perlmutter provided 10 points and a team-high six rebounds off of the bench while O'Connor totaled nine points but chipped in just two in the second half. Meanwhile, Saba had a team-high 19 points for the Wildcats in the win, with Galus pitching in a double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds). McDonnell also scored 13 points for the hosts, and Stilwell and DeWaters poured in 12 points apiece.
The double-digit rebounding advantage for Daemen ended up being a plus-23 margin (52-29) favoring the Wildcats. As such, the Wildcats collected 15 second chance points and 34 points in the paint thanks to 17 offensive rebounds. The hosts shot well in the win, hitting 46.3% (31-67) of their field goals including 41.7% (10-24) of shots taken beyond the three-point line. Molloy, on the other hand, shot a hair under 40 percent (25-63, 39.7%) from the field but put forth an icy effort from three-point range (5-22, 22.7%).
The Molloy College women's basketball team concludes its Western New York adventure on Saturday (Jan. 23) with a 4 p.m. showdown in Rochester with the 16-3 Redhawks of Roberts Wesleyan College. Like the Lions, the Redhawks are coming off of a defeat as Roberts fell to Queens College at the Voller Athletic Center by a final score of 66-56 on Friday.
