Rockville Centre, N.Y. – The third-seeded Molloy men's basketball team defeated the sixth-seeded Firebirds of the University of the District of Columbia, 61-60, to move onto the semifinal round of the East Coast Conference Tournament. The Lions will face #2 Saint Thomas Aquinas College on Saturday (Mar. 9) at the University of Bridgeport at 7:30 p.m.
 
How it Happened

• Back-to-back three-pointers from juniors Josh Dennis and Nick Corbett gave the maroon and white a 10-point lead, 27-17, midway through the opening half.
• UDC rallied within two, 31-29, with seven minutes left on the clock.
• With just under two minutes, the score was knotted at 36.
• Senior Curtis Jenkins sunk a foul shot to give the home team a 37-36 lead at the half.
• A 9-0 run from the Firebirds set the score at 44-37 in the opening three minutes in the second frame. The Lions responded with a 7-0 run to come within one, 45-44.
• Molloy put together another 7-0 run to take a 54-50 lead with 7:44 left to play.
• The teams found themselves knotted 57-57 with 3:53 on the clock before a jumper from senior Mike Torre put the maroon and white in front in the final 90 seconds. The forward netted two foul shots in the final seconds to ice the contest and secure the win for Molloy, 61-60.

 
Top Performances

• Corbett topped the scoresheet with 20 points, including going 4-of-7 from three-point range.
• Torre tallied 18 points and pulled down nine rebounds while adding one block and one steal.
• Dennis had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds while Jenkins pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds while dishing out five assists.

 
Looking Ahead
The Lions head to the University of Bridgeport on Saturday (Mar. 9) to take on #2 Saint Thomas Aquinas College in the Semifinal round of the ECC Championship. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.