ALBANY, N.Y. (Nov. 13, 2016) - In the final game of their opening weekend, men's basketball went point-for-point with Le Moyne College in the second half. Unfortunately, the effort ultimately came up short, as the Dolphins walked away with a 81-76 win. Le Moyne improved to 2-0 with the win, while the Lions drop to 0-3.

In the opening frame, Molloy attacked first with a good jumper from Mike Torre (Masspequa, N.Y.), but the Dolphins were quickly able to establish a lead with 12 of their first 16 points coming from behind the arc. The Lions found themselves down five with just over seven minutes remaining, a steal by Curtis Jenkins (Farmingdale N.Y.) led to a dunk by Jaylen Morris (Amherst, N.Y.) to provide the maroon and white with a spark. Charlie Marquardt (Rockaway Beach, N.Y.) would sink a three-pointer to tie the game with 4:43 left on the game clock. A layup and foul shot from Daniel Kaigler (Syracuse, N.Y.) swung the momentum back in favor of the Dolphins, who scored 13 of the final 19 points of the half to put Le Moyne up 32-28 as the teams headed into the locker room.

Le Moyne opened the second half with a pair of three-pointers from CJ Asuncion-Byrd (Greenwich, Conn.), but Molloy quickly countered with jumpers from Mike Guzzardi (Mount Sinai, N.Y.), Torre, and Morris as well as a three-pointer from Marquardt to bring the game to a one-point margin. The score stood at 40-39 with 15:44 remaining in the contest. A timely steal from Morris allowed Nick Corbett (Staten Island N.Y.) to put the Lions up 42-40. Guzzardi extended the lead by two with a field goal but the Dolphins responded with five points of their own from Russell Sangster (Rockville, Md.) and Anthony Richards (New Castle Pa). 12 points from Sangster and Asuncion-Byrd catapulted Le Moyne to their largest lead of the game, up 57-46 with just over ten minutes remaining. The Lions played excellent defense and did not allow a point while they cut the lead in half. A good jumper and free throw from Isaiah Eisendorf (Los Angeles, Calif.) sent the game to 70-61 with five minutes left in the contest. The Lions, however, were patient and made the most of their opportunities, sinking seven foul shots in the final minutes. A pair of three-point shots from Marquardt brought the maroon and white within two points with 30 seconds left to play, but late foul shots for Le Moyne ultimately sealed their fate and handed the win to the Dolphins.

Le Moyne had four players reach double-digits, but were led by Asuncion-Byrd, who totaled 22. The sophomore was nearly unstoppable beyond the arc, shooting 70% on the day. Four of the five starters for Molloy also reached double-digits, as Marquardt and Morris led the scoring with 23 and 20 points, respectively. Morris also led the team in rebounds (7) and contributed half of the team's 10 steals. As a team, the maroon and white shot above 50% from everywhere on the court, most notably taking advantage of over 82% of their opportunities at the line.

The Lions, after a jam-packed opening weekend, return home to face Philadelphia University on Nov. 20 at 1:00 p.m. in Quealy Gymnasium. Molloy will be hosting Epilepsy Awareness Weekend, supporting the programs and services of EPIC Long Island.