Box Score ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Jan. 27, 2016) – A career-high 30 points from junior guard Charlie Marquardt (Rockaway Beach, N.Y.) combined with a perfect shooting performance from senior forward Kevin Bowles (Wantagh, N.Y.) guided the Molloy College men's basketball team to a 96-81 triumph over Mercy College on Wednesday (Jan. 27) at Quealy Gymnasium.
Molloy (613, 4-7 ECC) raced out to an early 11-0 lead in the game's first three minutes and never truly looked back from there. First, Marquardt sent an alley-oop pass into the lane for fellow junior Jaylen Morris (Amherst, N.Y.) to tip home. The two juniors then hit trifectas before senior guard Brandon Williams (Baldwin, N.Y.) hit a driving lay-up in the paint to put the Lions up by double-digits. The lead would swell to 15 points at 24-9 with 12:07 to go in the half as freshman guard Curtis Jenkins (Farmingdale, N.Y.) stole the basketball from junior guard Isaiah Cosbert (Queens, N.Y.) and slammed home a highlight-reel dunk. The Mavericks began a charge from that play forward; Mercy (6-9, 4-6 ECC) went on an 11-3 run that was capped by a lay-up from Gerald McClease (New Haven, Conn.) which brought the Mavs within seven points at 27-20 with 8:39 to play in the half. Four minutes later, a three-ball from senior guard Tyseem Lyles (Brooklyn, N.Y.) leveled the score at 31. This time, it was the Lions' turn to make a run as the maroon and white closed out the half on a 19-6 spurt that was capped off by a Jenkins three-ball to close the period with Molloy leading 50-37.
The hosts poured it on in the second half, taking a 21-point lead on a Marquardt fast-break three-pointer with 16:27 to play in the game. The Lions led 61-40 at that point when two minutes later, the Quealy Gymnasium crowd would be brought to its feet. With 15 minutes on the clock, Williams dribbled around a high screen set by Bowles at the top of the key. The seniors played catch, and the Wantagh native took a hard left-handed dribble through the wide-open lane to rise up for an emphatic two-handed slam dunk. Bowles was fouled on the play and made the free throw for the three-point play as the Lions' Den continued to buzz with a palpable energy akin to that of Maroon Madness earlier in the season. Later in the stanza, a Morris dunk with 13:08 on the clock gave the Lions a 27-point lead at 71-44, but the Mavs refused to quit. Mercy got within 11 points as a lay-up by Raphael Jennings (Washington, D.C.) made the score 89-78 for Molloy with 1:36 to play. The Lions sealed the victory with a 7-3 run over that span as free throws came in clutch for the maroon and white in securing the win.
Marquardt hit 9-of-18 (50%) of his field goals for the second consecutive contest, and the junior was one of five players to hit double-figure point totals in the victory for the Lions. In fact, 95 of the team's 96 points came from the starting five with Marquardt leading a charge that included 21 & 8 from Morris, 16 & 7 from Bowles (on a perfect 7-for-7 performance from the field), and 14 apiece from both Jenkins and Williams. The Baldwin senior added six assists and six rebounds, while the Farmingdale freshman had five helpers and five boards as well. Molloy blazed the home court with a 53.1% (34-64) field goal percentage in the win; the Lions won despite shooting 34.8% (8-23) from deep territory and being outrebounded by a margin of four (40-36).
The bench starred for Mercy in the losing effort as center Joshua Thompson (Chester, Pa.) had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Mavericks. Senior guard Shaquille Stokes (Harlem, N.Y.) added 11 points in 15 minutes of playing time while McClease had 11. Junior forward K.J. Rose (Binghamton, N.Y.) scored 13 points with six rebounds for the Mavs, as well.
Molloy will next play host to the defending East Coast Conference regular-season champion Saint Thomas Aquinas Spartans on Saturday (Jan. 30) at 2:30 p.m.
