ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Jan. 4, 2016) – The Molloy College women's basketball team may be the best 2-9 team in the East Region of NCAA Division II women's basketball, due to the fact that the Lions' point differential (minus-2.7) is so glaringly low compared to other schools with similar records. That said, the only statistic that dictates whether or not an institution will fare well is that old win-loss record. The maroon and white will look to improve on the season thus far by beginning a seventeen-game conference swing with the LIU Post Pioneers on Wednesday (Jan. 6) at Quealy Gymnasium.
The Lowdown on the Lions
The last contest for Molloy came on New Year's Eve, and the Lions were the hard-luck losers in a 61-60 contest to Caldwell University. Senior forwards Ally Leftridge (Melville, N.Y.) and Kimani Jackson (Dix Hills, N.Y.) combined for 31 points (Leftridge 17, Jackson 14) and shot 47% (14-30) from the field despite the losing effort. As a team, Molloy was accurate from deep range in hitting 50% (8-16) of its three-point attempts. Where the maroon and white lost the game was at the free throw line: Molloy hit just 57% (8-14) of its foul shots in the loss.
Bench Stirs, Shows Signs of Improvement
Any great starting rotation must be complemented by an equally capable cast of supporting characters from the bench. In the Lions' loss to the Cougars, 14 points were scored off of the bench by guards Shantana Kanhoye (South Richmond Hill, N.Y.), Maggie Salomone (Narragansett, R.I.) and Alex Hampton (Baldwin, N.Y.). Kanhoye was a perfect three-for-three from the field in scoring seven points, while Salomone collected a season-high five points including a three-ball and Hampton added two free throws. All of the players also showed quality secondary statistical efforts, with Kanhoye grabbing five rebounds and Hampton dishing out four assists to go along with four boards. Junior forward Brianna Perlmutter (Brooklyn, N.Y.) did not score but she pulled down three rebounds and also swatted away a shot for her team-high tenth block of the season.
Three-Point Proficiency
As a team, the Lions are shooting 39% from beyond the three-point arc. While that number may not exactly jump out as being all that impressive, the individual percentages from the starting rotation are indicative of the maroon and white's precision from deep range. Senior guard Alexia O'Connor (Centerport, N.Y.) is shooting 45.1% from three-point territory, hitting 23 treys in 51 attempts. Leftridge is next with a 42% (21-50) efficiency from deep, while freshman guard Ihnacinse Grady (Amityville, N.Y.) has hit 40% of her three-pointers thus far. The Lions are showing fine range from beyond the three-point line, even if sometimes it ends with performances akin to the one versus Southern New Hampshire (3-21, 14.3%).
Perspective Plus Fork In The Road
This is the third time in the last nine seasons that Molloy has played the first 11 games of its season with only two wins to show for its effort. The most recent example was the 2010-11 season in which the Lions finished with an 8-21 overall record. But it's the other campaign that started 2-9 that should deserve more recognition. With only wins over Dowling and Georgian Court, the maroon and white started the 2007-08 season with a 2-9 record as the calendars changed years. Once the date changed to '08, Molloy completed an emphatic turnaround with a 17-5 record (including a perfect 8-0 mark in January as part of a ten-game, three-month win streak) that ended in an ECC Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Curious Case of the LIU Post Pioneers
If Molloy's 2-9 start is spun into a positive based upon point differential, LIU Post's 1-11 campaign to open the season can best be described as a head-scratcher. At times, the Pioneers have played close contests with losses to Holy Family by three, Bloomfield by two, Saint Thomas Aquinas and Bentley by seven and Assumption by six in double overtime. Yet there are games where the green and gold seem to not be the same squad. Case in point, LIU Post's last contest went to the tune of an 82-48 destruction at the hands of American International on Sunday (Jan. 3) in Springfield, Mass. Never mind that AIC is the best team in the East Region with an unblemished 13-0 record; LIU Post committed 27 turnovers and were outrebounded by the Yellow Jackets 38-27. Not many games are one with numbers like statistics mentioned above.
Shooting Woes, Scoring Shows
The Pioneers are minus-8.8 in scoring margin to begin the season, and much of that can be attributed to the lack of a certain player and senior leader from last season in guard Chelsea Williams. Williams was a proven scorer and an undoubted floor general, and without her the Pioneers have taken a few steps backward. Senior center Nyasia Davis (Rahway, N.J.) is averaging just nine points per game to lead the team, whereas last year Davis was a double-double machine and an All-Met performer. LIU Post's lack of scoring can be best attributed to a 29.8% clip from beyond the three-point arc as well as a free throw percentage of just 54.9% through 12 games. Those two percentages are good indicators as to how the Pioneers average just 55 points per game thus far.
