Rockville Centre, N.Y. - On the back of players finishing in double figures, the men's basketball team picked up its first East Coast Conference victory of 2023-24 with a 99-84 win over Roberts Wesleyan University this afternoon from Quealy Gymnasium. Molloy improved to 3-14 on the season and 1-5 in league play while the Redhawks fell to 6-9 (3-3 ECC).

How it Happened

• Graduate student Bobby Connors and freshman Rob Matos scored the first two field goals of the game for the Lions. 
• The Redhawks would respond with a narrow lead before layups from freshman Manu Alford and junior Mick Browne paired with a three-pointer from junior Billy Reyes put Molloy ahead by five, 14-9.
• The home team would extend its lead to as many as nine points, 27-18, with under nine minutes remaining in the opening half of play.
• Trailing by six with three minutes left in the half, the Redhawks put together a nine-point run to lead, 40-37. 
• Free throws from Matos and Browne in the final minute knotted the score at 40 for the break.
• The teams would exchange layups in the opening possessions of the second half until a 10 point run from the home squad gave the cardinal and white a 57-50 lead with 13:49 on the clock. Matos accounted for six of the 10 points in the run. 
• RWU would come within three, 64-61, at the nine minute mark ,but five points from Connors and another trey from Reyes gave the Lions the largest lead of the afternoon, 72-61.
• Molloy would maintain its double digit lead through the final four minutes, including three more triples from Reyes.

Top Performances

• Reyes led the team with a career-high 23 points off the bench, shooting five-of-six from long sitance while adding three rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block.
• Matos topped 20 points for the ninth time this season with 22 while dishing out a career-high eight helpers. 
• Connors recorded his second double-double in three games with 15 points and 12 rebounds. The graduate student also added four helpers and two steals.
• Browne matched a season-high 14 points and added five helpers. Graduate student Jalen Rosemond rounded out Molloy's top scorers with 10 points and eight rebounds and led the team with two blocks.
• Connors, Alford, and redshirt sophomore Sey Dieng each nabbed two steals. 

Up Next
Molloy will spend next weekend in western New York as they face Daemen University on Friday (Jan. 26) at 7:30 p.m. from Amherst, N.Y.
 

---

ABOUT MOLLOY
Molloy Athletics is a proud member of the East Coast Conference and is an NCAA Division II institution that offers 18 NCAA varsity sports to go with seven club programs.
 
A two-time ECC Commissioner's Cup recipient, Molloy is known for its development of the entire student-athlete and has been recognized on both the conference and national level both on the field of play, in the classroom, and as leaders. Molloy Athletics has taken home 24 Conference Championships, four NCAA Regional titles, and appeared in 24 NCAA Tournaments partnered with national organizations to serve the needs of others such as Team IMPACT and Make-A-Wish, and has been recognized with 15 Academic All-American selections by College Sports Communicators.
 
Stay connected with Molloy Athletics by visiting www.molloylions.com or by following along on social media @MolloyLions on both Twitter and Instagram and @Molloy University Athletics on Facebook. Share your Molloy Athletics experiences with the hashtag #DefendTheDen.
 
To support your favorite Molloy athletic programs, join the Molloy Lions Club, the official fundraising organization of the Molloy Lions! https://molloylions.com/feature/lionsclub.