ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Feb. 17, 2016) – After Tuesday night's loss to Queens College, the Molloy College women's basketball team finds itself in sixth place by just half a game over Daemen and Bridgeport. With the Purple Knights coming into town on Thursday (Feb. 18), getting the win and a season sweep will give the Lions a major boost towards attaining a postseason invitation into the East Coast Conference Tournament.
The Lowdown on the Lions
Senior forward Kimani Jackson (Dix Hills, N.Y.) scored a team-high 17 points and pulled down seven rebounds but the Lions were felled by a second-half charge from Queens College in a 57-49 loss at Quealy Gymnasium. Molloy was minus-11 (50-39) in the rebounding category and also committed 19 turnovers which the Knights were able to turn into 22 points. Ally Leftridge (Melville, N.Y.) and Aliyah McDonald (Hempstead, N.Y.) each added 10 points for the maroon and white in the losing effort.
Conference Postseason Picture
A win over Bridgeport will provide the Lions with a critical season sweep over the opposition. Should Molloy finish in a tie with the Purple Knights, it would give a great deal to the chances of the maroon and white to make the postseason. That said, there is still a chance for Molloy to finish higher than sixth; Saint Thomas Aquinas is at 8-9, meaning the Lions have a game in hand on the Spartans with a split series this year. Daemen is 6-9 at the moment, but the Lions will face them next Friday (Feb. 26) at home with a chance to get another huge win. The final two spots in the East Coast Conference Tournament are still very much up for grabs.
Prior Meeting
In Molloy's 73-61 win over Bridgeport back on Jan. 14, Jackson had a 28-point outing which set her career-high. She was helped out by her three other seniors as Leftridge added 14 and the Lions got 10 points from both Alex Hampton (Baldwin, N.Y.) and Alexia O'Connor (Centerport, N.Y.).
Bridgeport's Hanging Around
Two double-doubles and a spirited fourth-quarter run by Bridgeport led them to a 58-54 win over Dowling on Tuesday in Oakdale, N.Y. Freshman Kadijah Dickson (Queens, N.Y.) had 17 points and 15 rebounds while junior forward Evelyn Ovner (Vallentuna, Sweden) added a 17 & 10 night for Jen Carleton's club in the victory. The final frame belonged to UB, as a 25-12 run in points was buoyed by Bridgeport's 60% efficiency (9-15) from the field coupled with a woeful performance (3-13, 23.1%) from Dowling in the final ten minutes.
Rookie Sensation
Dickson's rookie season has seen her become the workhorse for Bridgeport, as is indicated by her 33.8 minutes per game average. The Queens native and Mary Louis Academy product is averaging 13.2 points per game, a mark which is 13th-best in the East Coast Conference. Dickson is also an aggressive defender with 40 steals, and is doing well despite her lower assist-turnover ratio (70 A-90 TO).
Rebounding Edge
Bridgeport, thanks to its height, is averaging 40.1 rebounds per contest this season. While that number places them in the middle of the pack, it is better than the last-place average of 35.0 RPG held by Molloy. Rebounding has been an Achilles heel for the Lions this season, and the Purple Knights would be wise to exploit that if possible.
