Rockville Centre, N.Y. – The men's basketball team fell to the Mavericks of Mercy College, 82-72, Monday evening in an East Coast Conference contest. The Lions drop to 3-10 (2-2 ECC), while Mercy improves to 1-11 (1-4 ECC).
 
How It Happened

• Molloy started the game by shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the field, highlighted by a pair of three-point baskets from junior Frankie Phelan. 
• The road team kept the game tight, trailing 20-19, following a three-pointer from guard James Taylor Jr. with 11:19 left on the scoreboard.
• Over the next five minutes of action, the maroon and white put together a 10-2 scoring run, leading 30-21, with over six minutes to play.
• The two teams traded baskets to end the half, with the Lions holding a 42-35 lead heading into the locker room. 
• The Lions began the second half with baskets from junior Pierce Boczar, graduate student Justin Caldwell, junior William Muller, and a pair of free-throws from junior Frankie Phelan to push the lead to 10, 50-40, with 17:20 to play.
• With 11:17 to go, Muller sank a layup, keeping the home team ahead, 58-49.
• The road team would continue to battle, putting together a 7-2 run, to close the deficit to four, 60-56, with 9:44 remaining.
• The maroon and white doubled their lead to eight, 64-56, off a free-throw from Phelan with over eight minutes remaining.
• The Mavericks would go on a 20-4 scoring run, shooting 50 percent from the field and 3-of-3 from behind the three-point line, to take a 76-68 lead with under two minutes remaining on the scoreboard.
• A lay-up from freshman Sey Dieng, closed the deficit to six, 76-70, with 1:02 to go, but that is as close as Molloy would come, as the Mavericks went on to a 82-72 victory.

 
Top Performances

• Muller led all scorers with a career-high 24 points while grabbing eight rebounds.
• Phelan also netted a career-high 19 points to go along with three assists and swiping three steals.
• Freshman Darren Fergus tallied 16 points and led the Lions by securing nine rebounds and dishing out five assists.

 
Up Next
Molloy will head north, as they travel to Amherst, N.Y. to visit the Wildcats of Daemen College, Friday, January 14. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.