ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Feb. 15, 2016) – Normally a 1-1 week can be looked upon with a favorable mindset, but for the Molloy College men's basketball team the loss in the 1-1 is a stinger. With the Lions holding a 5-10 record with five games remaining---and with Mercy College (the No. 6 seed) a full three games ahead of the maroon and white for a playoff berth---the increasing pressure on the maroon and white to return to the postseason clashes with the ever-growing realistic possibility of the team missing the East Coast Conference Tournament. Getting help from other squads will only work if Molloy, which plays Queens College at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday (Feb. 16) in Rockville Centre, can take care of business for itself.
The Lowdown on the Lions
A dominant first half in which three players combined for 39 points---four more than the entire NYIT squad---allowed Molloy to cruise in the second half to an 86-79 win over the Bears on Saturday (Feb. 13) at Recreation Hall in Old Westbury. Juniors Jaylen Morris (Amherst, N.Y.) and Charlie Marquardt (Rockaway Park, N.Y.) totaled 49 points between them, with Marquardt putting up a game-high 26 and Morris adding 23 in the win. The Lions were minus-five (43-38) in the rebounding category, yet capitalized on 17 turnovers to score 26 points off of NYIT's miscues. Freshman guard Curtis Jenkins (Farmingdale, N.Y.) continued his good week of play with a 15-point effort off the bench, hitting 7-of-12 from the field and contributing four assists and four steals.
Jenkins Does His Part
The Farmingdale freshman totaled 20 points off of the bench for Molloy in Wednesday night's defeat at LIU Post, before the 15-point effort at NYIT. Jenkins also pulled down six rebounds per contest and shot well enough, hitting 13-for-28 of his field goal attempts. Putting Jenkins' first year into perspective is actually quite fascinating. He currently holds an average of 11.5 points per game and has scored 264 points this season total. Marquardt only scored 220 points in his first year in Rockville Centre and Morris had just 192; senior guard Brandon Williams (Baldwin, N.Y.) scored just 228 points in his debut season. 2014 graduate John Petrucelli totaled 422 points in his first year with Molloy, as well. All four of the previous players just mentioned either scored 1,000-plus points in their career or are nearing that total…Jenkins' first season could be a harbinger of good things to come if he keeps on that level. The rookie phenom was also just recently named ECC Men's Basketball Rookie of the Week for the second time this season.
Finally Topping Seventy Percent
Molloy's free throw shooting has been consistent enough this season to the point where it has eclipsed the 70% mark and stayed there. Currently, the Lions are 276-391 (70.6%) from the charity stripe; that number could pay dividends in close games for the maroon and white with the playoff run drawing nearer.
Conference Playoff Picture
Going into Tuesday night, Saint Thomas Aquinas remains the only team to have officially sewn up a berth in the upcoming East Coast Conference Tournament. The eight wins by sixth-seeded Mercy College also eliminate both Roberts Wesleyan (3-12) and NYIT (2-14) from playoff contention; Molloy, at 5-10, is hanging on by a thread. Both Queens and Dowling sit at 6-9 right ahead of the Lions, with Dowling hosting a 9-5 Bridgeport club on Tuesday night as well. Second-seeded Daemen can lock up a playoff spot with a victory over the aforementioned Redhawks of Roberts Wesleyan on Tuesday night, while third-seeded UDC is idle.
The QC Winning Streak
Queens College had just three conference victories just a fortnight ago, but three straight victories have vaulted the nights back into playoff contention. The most recent win for the Knights came on Feb. 13 against LIU Post in a game where junior guard Tyree White (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had a rare assists/rebounds double-double (10 assists, 12 rebounds). The 76-65 victory happened thanks in part to a huge game from sophomore guard Simon Green (Harlem, N.Y.) who scored 20 points off of the bench. Forwards Paul Little (Englewood, N.J.) and Mohamed Dansoko (Brooklyn, N.Y.) each chipped in 13 for the Knights.
Tyree's Time
White may have had an off game against the Pioneers, but the junior transfer from Hostos C.C. has been anything but off for the Knights this season. White is the team leader in seven major statistical categories including points per game (16.3 PPG), rebounds per game (8.8 RPG), and assists per game (5.9 APG).
Giant-Killers and Series Sweepers?
Queens College has six wins in conference play, including two over NYIT and one already against Molloy (see below). But the other three wins for the Knights were against teams that are currently fighting for play-off position. Aside from the win over the current-No. 5 seed LIU Post, Daryl Jacobs' club knocked off both Saint Thomas Aquinas and District of Columbia earlier this season. Some will call those wins flukes, but Queens has showcased an ability to knock off the big teams when the pressure mounts and that could make the Knights dangerous come tourney time.
Prior Meeting
By the time eight minutes had elapsed at Fitzgerald Hall back on Jan. 12, Queens College was ahead of Molloy by a 22-8 score. The Knights won by a score of 78-62, in a game where White was held to 12 points. Instead, all but two members of the Queens squad scored in a combined effort to pick up the victory.
