Rockville Centre, N.Y. - The men's basketball team snapped a five-game losing streak to end the home portion of the calendar year with a victory, topping the Lightning of Goldey-Beacom College, 87-79. Molloy improved to 2-8 on the season while GBC fell to 4-8.

How it Happened

• The Lightning took an early lead, scoring 10 of the opening 14 points.
• A 13-3 run from Molloy gave the Lions the first lead of the evening, 16-13, with 14 minutes left in the opening half.The run featured eight points from freshman Dylan Kopp.
• Back-to-back three-pointers from junior Payton Shumpert increased the lead to seven.
• The half would end on a 7-0 run from the Lions, taking a 45-30 lead into the halftime break.
• Molloy maintained a double-digit lead through nearly the entire second half. Goldey-Beacom would cut the deficit to seven, 81-74, with one minute to play following an 11-3 run. Foul shots from sophomores Rob Matos and Bryce Merchant paired with a layup from Kopp maintained the lead for the home squad and sealed the Lions a victory for the first time in nearly a month.

Top Performances

• Matos notched his first career double-double, netting 23 points while dishing out a career-high 10 assists. The guard also added three rebounds and two steals.
• Kopp netted a career-high 20 points, shooting 8-of-13 from the field, while adding five rebounds and four assists.
• Merchant tallied 16 points and three assists while Shumpert's 11 points and team-leading three steals rounded out the top scorers.
• Graduate student Matt Lane had a career-high six blocks in the effort while also adding a team-leading 16 rebounds to go with seven points.

Up Next
Molloy will conclude 2024 on Saturday (Dec. 21). The Lions travel to Philadelphia, Pa. to face Chestnut Hill at 3:30 p.m.