Box Score ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Feb. 16, 2016) – Despite the team-high 17 points and seven rebounds by senior forward Kimani Jackson (Dix Hills, N.Y.), the Molloy College women's basketball team could not secure a 29-25 halftime lead in falling to Queens College by a final score of 57-49 on Tuesday at Quealy Gymnasium.
Molloy (8-16, 7-9 ECC) opened the first quarter of play on a 6-0 run, as the seniors scored all of the Lions' points in the spurt. Jackson, Alexia O'Connor (Centerport, N.Y.) and Ally Leftridge (Melville, N.Y.) were the ones to get the maroon and white on the board early; the Lions would extend their lead to 11-3 with 3:39 remaining on a fast-break lay-up by freshman point guard Ihnacinse Grady (Amityville, N.Y.). Consecutive buckets by Jackson would give the home side a 17-5 lead after the first frame. Queens (14-8, 11-5 ECC) took control in the second half early as back-to-back three-balls by sophomore guard Merrick Rowland (Albany, N.Y.) brought the Knights within six points at 17-11. Following a time-out, however, Molloy assumed control again as Leftridge and Aliyah McDonald (Hempstead, N.Y.) scored five straight points to get the lead back to 11 points with 90 seconds gone by in the stanza. The Knights would get eight unanswered points to bring the score within three at 22-19 with six minutes to play in the half, but Molloy was able to keep the lead through the halftime break. The Lions went up 29-25 going into the locker room.
The visitors took their first lead of the contest in the third quarter with 6:44 to play thanks to free throws from Madison Rowland (Albany, N.Y.), and the lead increased to eight points on a Rowland lay-up two minutes later. Molloy made it a four-point contest towards the end of the third quarter, with the Knights leading by a 44-39 score. Ultimately, the visitors would take over the fourth quarter leaving the Lions in the dust on account of turnovers by the hosts and a 13-10 advantage in the final frame for the visitors.
Jackson led the Lions with 17 points but only hit 8-of-20 attempts from the field. Leftridge and McDonald both added 10 points but a 19-turnover night left the maroon and white on the short end of the decision. Molloy hit 37% (21-57) of its shots from the field overall, but only went to the free throw line seven times (making five) and hit just 2-for-12 from behind the three-point line. Madison Rowland had a game-high 23 points for Queens along with 13 rebounds, while sister MacKenzie Rowland (Albany, N.Y.) added 18 boards off the bench for the Knights in the victory.
Molloy hosts a pivotal ECC tilt with Bridgeport on Thursday (Feb. 18) at 5 p.m. in Rockville Centre, N.Y.
