SAINT LEO, Fla. (Nov. 26, 2016) - Molloy's men's basketball team found themselves down by 14 points with just under 18 minutes left in their game against Saint Leo University. The Lions managed to battle back through the second half, and the game became tied seven times in the final seven minutes. The comeback was seemingly sealed as Mike Torre (Massapequa, N.Y.) sunk a three-pointer to send Molloy up by one point with only seven seconds remaining. However, a foul with no time remaining on the clock sent Saint Leo's Marcus Dewberry (Lake Wales, Fla.) to the line. The senior made both of his foul shots and sealed the one-point victory for his team. 

Molloy found themselves on the defensive early, as Darius Huggins (Buffalo, N.Y.) made a jumper in the game's first 20 seconds. However, a three-pointer from Nick Corbett (Staten Island, N.Y.) quickly put the Lions on top. The freshman then nabbed a steal, leading to a fastbreak layup by Charlie Marquardt (Rockaway Beach, N.Y.) to extend the lead to 5-2. Saint Leo, however, continued the first half on a 20-8 run, sending the score to 21-14 with 13 minutes remaining in the opening frame. Three made free throws from Josh Dennis (Valley Stream, N.Y.) brought the score to within four, but the effort was offset by a basket from beyond the arc from Davon Payne (Detroit, Mich.). Dunks from Mike Guzzardi (Mount Sinai, N.Y.) and Jaylen Morris (Amherst, N.Y.) as well as a three-pointer from Marquardt brought Molloy within two with 8:18 left on the clock. The teams each continued to exhange scores, but three-pointers from Tyree Brice (Rock Hill, S.C.) and Justin Satchell (Miami, Fla.) sent the squads to the locker room with Saint Leo leading 40-34. 

Saint Leo opened the second half with a 11-6 run, with Molloy's points coming from two three-pointers by Marquardt. Both sets of Lions banked shots throughout the early parts of the second half as Molloy tried to mount a comeback. It seemed, though, that every time Molloy gained any kind of momentum, Saint Leo had a counter attack. That is, until seven consecutive points from Torre sent the game to a 70-70 tie with 6:57 left in the game. Brice sunk two foul shots for Saint Leo, but Guzzardi was quickly able to send the game back to a tie with a made layup. The graduate student gave Molloy the two point advantage on two made free throws of his own. Two successful attempts from the charity stripe by Malik Fuller (Joliet, Ill.) once again brought the game to a tie. Torre tossed in a layup to send the maroon and white up by two, but Brice landed a jump shot of his own to bring the game to yet another tie. A layup from Guzzardi sent the game to 78-76 Molloy, but two more made foul shots from Fuller once again set the score even. Corbett sunk both of his free throws ten seconds later to give Molloy a two point advantage. Fuller and Necdet Gurkan (Ankara, Turkey) combined to put Saint Leo ahead by four. Torre made a layup in an attempt to gain momentum for the Lions, but free throws from Gurkan would keep the lead 86-82. With 23 seconds remaining, Corbett made both of his attempts from the line to cut the lead in half. Torre sent his three-pointer into the basket, giving Molloy the one point lead, but Dewberry's foul shots ultimately sealed Molloy's fate. 

The Lions made the most of their opportunities, scoring 26 points off turnovers and 27 points on the fast break. Saint Leo, however, commanded the action from the foul line, sinking nearly 80% of their attempts. Marquardt lead all scorers, totaling 25 points to go along with four steals. Guzzardi notched a double-double in the effort, totaling 21 points and 13 rebounds. Torre (14), Morris (11), and Corbett (10) rounded out the top scoring for the Lions. Morris nabbed four steals of his own for Molloy. 

Molloy's Florida roadtrip continues tomorrow as the team faces Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Fla. at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday (Nov. 27).