VALHALLA, N.Y. (Nov. 26, 2016) - Molloy's women's basketball team earned a convincing 21-point win over the Mavericks of Mercy College on Saturday (Nov. 26). The Lions picked up their first win in East Coast Conference play, improving to 5-1 on the season and 1-1 in conference. The maroon and white were led by double-digit point totals from seniors
Aliyah McDonald (Hempstead, N.Y.) and
Shantana Kanhoye (South Richmond Hill, N.Y.) as well as graduate students
Symone Kelly (Wyandanch, N.Y.) and
Kamala Thompson (Selden, N.Y.).
The Mavericks struck first, opening the scoring with points from Abagail Collier (Watertown, Conn.) and Cynthia Perez (Middle Village, N.Y.). Molloy responded with a steal by Thompson, leading to a fastbreak layup by McDonald to put the Lions on the board. Collier countered, doubling Mercy's lead but the maroon and white quickly went ahead on five points from Thompson and McDonald. The following two minutes would result in see-saw action between the two teams. Molloy ultimately closed the first quarter with an eight-point run by Kanhoye,
Jessica Kalbfleisch (Ridge, N.Y.) and
McKayla Hernandez (Windermere, Fla.) to bring the score to 20-12 Lions.
Over two full minutes would go by in the second quarter without either team sinking a basket. Monet Keane-Dawes (Brooklyn, N.Y.) put the Mavericks back within six with 7:53 left in the opening half, but the maroon and white quickly extended their lead to ten points on scores from Kalbfleisch and Kanhoye. Chi-la Bady (Valley Stream, N.Y.) posted five quick points for Mercy, but the next 16 points would go in favor of Molloy, sending the score to 38-19 with just over one minute to play in the second quarter. The Mavericks countered with five consecutive points on their own to end the half, sending the teams to the locker room with the score 38-24 Molloy.
Keane-Dawes put the first points on the board in the second half, making a layup in the first 30 seconds of play. Molloy, however, continued running at full speed, posting 14 third-quarter points, seven of which came from McDonald. The Mavericks were held to only six points, bringing the score to 52-30 heading into the final frame of action. Destinee Hall (Spring Valley, N.Y.) scored for the Mavericks, but points from McDonald and
Maggie Salomone (Narragansett, R.I.) extended Molloy's lead to 25 points. With just under four minutes remaining, the Mavericks were able to cut the lead to 17 points, but Kanhoye and
Sabrina Rodriguez (Norwalk, Conn.) extended the lead back to 63-43. Kanhoye closed the scoring for Molloy, picking up the 70-49 win.
McDonald led the team, scoring 13 points, with Kanhoye just behind with 12. The seniors each shot 45% from the field. Kelly and Thompson each posted 10 points for the Lions, with Thompson nabbing a team-high three steals. Kalbfleisch pulled down nine rebounds in the win. As a team, the maroon and white took advantage of their opportunities, scoring 27 points off of turnovers. The Lions also saw depth, with nearly half of their points coming from off the bench.
Molloy is in action again Sunday (Nov. 27) as they head home to Quealy Gymnasium to take on the Penmen of Southern New Hampshire University at 1:00 p.m.
