Rutherford, N.J. – For the second consecutive day, the Molloy women's basketball team went to overtime at the Felician Holiday Classic. The Lions topped the host Golden Falcons of Felician University, 74-72, Sunday afternoon inside Joal & Joseph Job Gymnasium. Molloy improved to 2-3 on the campaign, while Felician moved to 0-5.
 
How it Happened

• After an opening layup from junior Samantha Muller 2:23 into the contest, Felician went on a 9-0 scoring run to open a 9-2 lead with 3:47 to play in the first quarter.
• Molloy responded, closing the quarter on its own 9-0 rally, highlighted by a pair of three-point field goals from sophomore Sophia Yearwood to take an, 11-9, lead into the second quarter.
• After trading baskets for most of the second quarter, the Golden Falcons were able to create a seven-point lead, 29-22, following a layup from Uzoe Uchidiuno with 2:02 remaining in the first half.
• A pair of jump shots from Muller and senior Trinity Hudson brought the Lions within five, 31-26, heading into halftime.
• The cardinal and white began the third quarter with a 7-0 run, with a pair of baskets from Hudson, a pair of free throws from sophomore Rosa Rizzitelli, and a foul shot from junior Danielle Hippner to take a 33-31 lead, 1:14 into the second half.
• The teams would go back and forth with Felician taking a three-point advantage midway through the quarter, but layup from sophomore Colleen McCullagh shrunk the deficit to one, 38-37
• After the home team extended its lead to five, 42-40, Rizzitelli responded with a three-point shot to bring the contest within one possession, 42-40, with over four minutes to go in the third.
• The Golden Falcons concluded the quarter on a mini 8-3 rally to take a 50-43 lead into the fourth.
• The Lions battled its way back into the contest in the fourth stanza, starting the quarter on a 10-3 rally, propelled by shooting a perfect five-of-five from the foul line to knot the contest at 53 with 6:02 to go in the quarter.
• Felician would regain the lead off a pair of layups over the next 2:30 of time, but a foul shot from graduate student Isabel Sanchez brought the Lions within one, 57-56, with 2:29 remaining.
• 19 seconds later Molloy would jump in front, 58-57, following a jumper from Hudson.
• The home team regained its lead, 59-58, with 1:44 remaining on the clock.
• With 52 seconds left in the quarter, Sanchez nailed a three to give Molloy a two-point cushion, 61-59.
• The Golden Falcons went on to sink a layup with 29 seconds to play and would hold Molloy scoreless during its final possession to send the game to overtime tied at 61.
• Felician began the extra period with a three-point play from Mar Vidal to take a 64-61 lead.
• A layup from McCullagh, a jumper from Muller, and a foul shot from Hudson knotted the contest at 66 with 3:02 to play.
• The Lions generated a four-point lead, 71-67, with 1:42 to go following a pair of free throws from Muller and a three from Sanchez.
• Felician cut the lead back down to two, 71-69, with 49 seconds remaining on the clock.
• The cardinal and white would shoot three-of-three down the stretch from the charity stripe and go on to secure the victory, 74-72.

Top Performances

• Hudson led all scorers with 18 points and secured 11 rebounds to collect her third straight double-double.
• Muller collected 16 points and five rebounds.
• Sanchez totaled 13 points shooting four-of-eight from three-point range.

Up Next
The Lions will open East Coast Conference play Wednesday (Nov. 29) as they welcome the College of Staten Island Dolphins to Rockville Centre. The contest is set to begin at 5:00 p.m.