ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Feb. 5, 2016) – Two full games stand between the Molloy College men's basketball team and the No. 6 overall seed in the East Coast Conference standings. Two teams currently hold that sixth spot in the ECC playoff chase, and the Lions hold a season sweep over one of those squads (Mercy) should tiebreakers determine things. The maroon and white, though, would like to win a postseason berth outright thus making the final eight games of the season critical. It all starts Saturday (Feb. 6) when Molloy hosts UDC at Quealy Gymnasium.
The Lowdown on the Lions
It was a 9-0 run to open the second half of the Lions' last contest with Saint Thomas Aquinas on Jan. 30 that sent the maroon and white to a 69-65 loss in Rockville Centre. Junior guard Jaylen Morris (Amherst, N.Y.) had a team-high 20 points and nine rebounds while senior point guard Brandon Williams (Baldwin, N.Y.) scored 17 points with four boards and four assists. The Lions committed 12 turnovers in the loss while only forcing Saint Thomas Aquinas into six giveaways.
Twenty Games in…
One of the more glaring statistics in the season for the 6-14 Lions (4-7 in ECC play) has been the team's problems with rebounding the basketball. Molloy has won the rebounding battle in just two of the team's 20 games this season thus far and while the disparity alludes to a margin of minus-8.3 rebounds per game, the Lions have been able to make do without crashing the boards. Five of the wins for the maroon and white this season have been double-digit victories, including back-to-back wins over Roberts Wesleyan and Mercy prior to last Saturday. The season, though, could have been different: Molloy had leads in its first five contests in November of 2015, only to lose each of the five games.
Block Party
Both Morris and senior forward Kevin Bowles (Wantagh, N.Y.) are in the top-five in the conference thus far in both blocks per game and total rejections. Morris has 30 total blocks (1.5 BPG) while Bowles is right behind him at 29 total blocks (1.5 BPG). Though both players are only six-foot-five, the ability to change a shot's direction and alter a shooter's trajectory and path to the basket have kept Molloy in a majority of games this season.
Firebirds Feeling Pressure?
Mike Riley's club has a sub-.500 overall record (9-11) and yet the team is 7-5 in East Coast Conference play. Yet the team's most recent performance, a 69-65 loss at Queens College on Thursday, is causing some concerns among Firebirds fans as the team sits just a game ahead of Dowling and Mercy in the ECC standings. With the conference semifinals and finals being hosted in our nation's capital next month, the Firebirds would do well to quell those fears and at least give themselves a shot at playing in the final four at home.
Light It Up!
Take it for what it is: UDC is averaging 82.1 points per game overall this season and has scored at or above that average in 12 of 20 contests. The Firebirds are a team that is powerful on offense…when the turnover game does not hurt them. UDC has committed 15 or more turnovers in over half of the games that the Firebirds have played this season. Therefore, forcing Mike Riley's team into making mistakes could be the difference in winning and losing Saturday's contest.
Last Meeting
The most recent UDC-Molloy contest was proof as to how well the Firebirds can shoot the basketball. UDC won a 79-70 game by hitting 47.5% (28-59) of its field goals; it also was a testament to how Molloy had its issues with shooting at the UDC Sports Complex. Molloy shot 35.7% from the field, which is not that bad if not for the 30-for-84 performance in the game.
