ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Feb. 9, 2016) – The mission has become considerably tougher due to the nature of previous results. Instead of moving up in the standings, the Molloy College men's basketball team has slid backwards and now sits in deep trouble with seven games remaining. Looking to avoid playoff elimination, the Lions will have to win on the road Wednesday (Feb. 10) versus LIU Post in Brookville.
The Lowdown on the Lions
The maroon and white fell to 4-9 in East Coast Conference play after Saturday's 79-70 loss to UDC at Quealy Gymnasium. The Lions had built up as much as a 12-point edge in the first half of competition, but wasted opportunities and poor shot selections late in the game doomed Molloy to another difficult defeat at home. Junior guard Charlie Marquardt (Rockaway Beach, N.Y.) had a double-double for his squad in the loss, with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
Charlie Marquardt's One-Man War
Marquardt's run through the recent stretch of opponents has been nothing short of spectacular. Consider this: his combined efforts in the last five games have led to 18 made three-pointers and a points per game average of 23.4 PPG. The junior is shooting 45% from the field in that span and also has scored 20-plus points in four of those contests. Marquardt has been the constant for the Lions in recent weeks, but without the supporting cast members around him keeping a consistent presence, it may all go for naught.
The March to 1,000
Earlier in the year---and coincidentally, versus LIU Post---senior guard Brandon Williams (Baldwin, N.Y.) joined the prestigious 1,000-point club in the history of the Molloy men's basketball program. Now, junior guard Jaylen Morris (Amherst, N.Y.) finds himself 59 points away from the milestone marker with seven games to play in the season. His production has slowed down in recent games somewhat, but the leading scorer on the team (16.5 PPG) is still a force to be reckoned with in hitting 47.9% of his field goal attempts. Morris will most likely not get to quadruple digits on Wednesday, but he could get closer and be able to break through the barrier next week at home versus either Queens or Bridgeport.
Arc de Defense
Whether it's good luck in facing opponents on an off night or strong defensive efforts, Molloy has been the benefactor of the opposition's lack of effectiveness from three-point range. In the last four contests, teams facing the Lions are just 19-for-75 (25.3%) from beyond the arc which means those squads are leaving an obscene amount of points on the table. While this trend may be favorable to the Lions, the more recent results versus Wednesday's opponent (which will be discussed later) tell a much different story.
Time To Go
The aforementioned 4-9 record in conference competition has the maroon and white tied for eighth place with Queens College, and a full three games behind Mercy College for the No. 6 overall spot in the ECC standings. Of the Lions' seven remaining contests, four of them are against teams currently inside the top-six spots in the playoff hunt. The saving grace for Molloy is that were the Lions to get into a tie with Mercy for the sixth spot, the tiebreakers favor the maroon and white due to a season series sweep. A great number of permutations have to happen to get there first, starting with a Molloy victory on Wednesday.
LIU Post's Downward Tumble
LIU Post got out of the gate strong with seven consecutive victories to open conference season. Since an 81-66 win over Queens on Jan. 9, however, the Pioneers have lost six of their last seven East Coast Conference games. The string of defeats has cost the green and gold the top overall seed and now Erik Smiles' team is hanging on to fifth place with an 8-6 record in ECC play. In the Pioneers' most recent contest, a 71-56 loss to Saint Thomas Aquinas on Feb. 6, 22 turnovers led to 25 points and a twelfth straight victory for the Spartans.
Takeover Hall
Last year, guard Jared Hall (South Orange, N.J.) was a role player on a senior-laden team that had high expectations but fell short of the grand prize. This year, Hall is the one leading the team and doing so by lighting up the scoreboard on a consistent basis. After scoring just eight points in LIU Post's opening contest versus USciences in November, Hall has run up a streak of double-digit point totals. In fact, the 18 points per game scorer has knocked down 49% of his shots over the last five games and is averaging 23.8 points per contest in that stretch. If it comes down to a battle of Hall versus Marquardt, the score could be high, the action tense, and the outcome extremely interesting to watch.
Pioneers Ruled Prior Meeting
A 94-74 win for LIU Post on Jan. 6 was highlighted by an emphatic shooting performance from the Pioneers at Quealy Gymnasium. The visitors hit 56.7% of their field goals, 57.9% of their three-pointers and 83.3% of their free throws in running roughshod over the Molloy defense.
