ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Feb. 4, 2017) – The Molloy women's basketball stormed back in the second half to take down Mercy 51-49. The Lions improved to 18-5 on the season and 10-2 in East Coast Conference play while the loss drops the Mavericks to 3-18 (1-12 ECC). Aliyah McDonald (Hempstead, N.Y.) topped the score sheet with 19 points while Kamala Thompson (Selden, N.Y.) had 17 points, nine rebounds and a game-high 3 steals. Freshman Maya Joyner (North Babylon, N.Y.) pulled down a career-high 11 boards in the win.

Despite going ahead early in the game, the Lions would play from behind for the majority of the contest, down by as much as 13 points in the third quarter. The first half, the Mavericks held Molloy to a mere 8% from the field, with nine of the team's 13 first half points coming from the charity stripe.

The maroon and white roared awake in the second half, however, hitting 47.6% from the field and going 16-of-22 (72.7%) from the foul line. Joyner and McDonald combined to send the Lions on a 10-4 run late in the third, coming within seven points, 34-27, as the teams headed into the final frame.

In the fourth, McDonald quickly cut the deficit to only five points, but Latisha Clark (Peekskill, N.Y.) launched a layup to counteract the effort. Abigail Collier (Watertown, Conn.) extended Mercy's lead to eight points, but consecutive jumpers from Thompson brought the Lions back within five with 4:05 left on the game clock. Graduate student Jessica Kalbfleisch (Ridge, N.Y.) pulled down a crucial offensive rebound, one of her six boards on the day, with 3:12 on the clock. The forward put up two straight layups to put Molloy within one point. McDonald came up clutch under the boards, pulling down her own rebound after a foul shot, drawing another foul. That time, the senior sunk both attempts to push the Lions ahead 50-48 with 38 seconds on the clock. With two seconds left, Caralie Wilson (Gold Coast, Australia) brought Mercy back within one point, but Kalbfleisch sealed the game with a made free throw attempt with less than a second on the clock. As time expired, the scoreboard favored the home team 51-49.

The difference in the game came down to performance at the charity stripe. Molloy went 25-of-41 (61%) on the day, including 15 made foul shots from McDonald, while the Mavericks were held to only nine attempts, making three.

Next up for the Lions will be a tilt with the Purple Knights of the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Conn. on Saturday (Feb. 11) at 1:00 p.m.