Box Score OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (Feb. 13, 2016) - Thanks to another brilliant performance off the bench from junior guard Maggie Salomone (Narragansett, R.I.) as well as stellar play from both Kimani Jackson (Dix Hills, N.Y.) and Aliyah McDonald (Hempstead, N.Y.), the Molloy College women's basketball team staged a dramatic come-from-behind win in the final minutes to best NYIT, who was previously undefeated in the conference, by a final score of 66-59. Molloy now moves to 8-15 on the season and 7-8 in conference play, while NYIT falls to 21-6 and 15-1 in conference.
The Lions came out lukewarm, falling 6-0 within the first three minutes of play, but a lay-up by senior forward Ally Leftridge (Melville, N.Y.) stopped the early run for the host Bears. The two teams exchanged field goals for much of the first quarter, ending with the Bears ahead by three, 14-11. Shanice Allen (Riverhead, N.Y.) and Salomone traded 3-pointers, but Dina Ragab (Cairo, Egypt) kicked off a seven-point run for NYIT. The Lions only other scorer in the second quarter was Jackson, who put up five points in the frame. The teams went into the locker room with Molloy trailing 31-19.
The third quarter, much like the first, saw a litany of back and forth scoring. The visitors' game started to crescendo, however, with four minutes left in the quarter. The combination of Jackson and McDonald scored 11 points, only interrupted by a free throw from Shannon Duer (Islip, N.Y.) and a lay-up by Nina Vukosavljevic (Belgrade, Serbia). Although the maroon and white did not secure their first lead until a pair of free throws and a jumper from Jackson with 4:49 remaining in the final frame, they would not fall behind again in the contest. NYIT responded with a Vukosavljevic lay-up and Allen 3-point shot, but it was no match for the red hot Lions, who scored 25 points in the final 10 minutes and yielded just 11.
All three of Molloy's leading scorers came off the bench. Jackson topped the scoresheet with 21 points on the day, followed by Salomone and McDonald, who had 16 and 10 respectively. The Lions shot an even 40% from both the field and beyond the arc. The Bears were led by Vukosavljevic and Duer, who each had 12 points. The junior forward from Islip also pulled down 10 rebounds to register another double-double. Their scoring was rounded out by Ragab and Allen, who both scored 8 points with 2 steals.
The Lions will look to build on a two-game winning streak when they return to action on Tuesday (Feb. 16) with a home contest against the Queens College Knights. The game will take place at 5 p.m. at Quealy Gymnasium in Rockville Centre, N.Y.
