Queens, N.Y. - The women's basketball team closed out the Knights' Thanksgiving Invitational with a 69-51 victory over Franklin Pierce University from Fitzgerald Gymnasium. The Lions snapped a six-game losing streak with the victory to improve to 2-6 on the season. 

How it Happened

• The opening eight minutes belonged exclusively to the Lions, who netted the first 21 points of the game. Senior Sophia Yearwood hit back-to-back three-pointers to start the contest before senior Colleen McCullagh added 11.
• The Ravens hit two foul shots and a layup to get on the board, but a pair of free throws from freshman Sharmeela Ugbogbo paired with back-to-back field goals from sophomore Emma Poland and freshman Kaitlyn Paulino Rosario made it 27-4 in favor of Molloy after the opening quarter.
• Back-to-back buckets from Poland increased the Lions' lead to as much as 31, 40-9, late in the second frame. 
• Franklin Pierce would close the half on an 11-point run to make it 40-20 at the break.
• The Ravens would come within 14, 42-28 after two minutes of play in the third quarter. 
• Three-point plays from senior Rosa Rizzitelli and sophomore Jamie Davneiro helped Molloy keep it a 20 point contest headed into the final 10 minutes.
• FPU would shoot over 60 percent from the field in the final frame, threatening to close the gap on the Lions and coming within 13 points, 61-48, with just under seven minutes to play. 
• The hot start early gave Molloy more than enough room, and field goals from Rizzitelli, Yearwood, and McCullagh paired with two free throws from Ugbogbo rounded out the scoring for a comfortable victory. 

Top Performances

• McCullagh reached the 20 point mark for the fourth-straight game, leading all scorers. The senior added seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
• Ugbogbo notched her second career double-double, scoring a career-high 14 points while pulling down a career-high 18 rebounds to go with four blocks and four assists, both of which were also career-best numbers.
• Yearwood added 12 points on a 5-of-9 day from the field while Rizzitelli rounded out the top scorers with 10 points to go with five assists and two steals. 
• Sophomore Iris Hoffman topped the Lions with six assists and three steals while adding eight rebounds. 

Up Next
Molloy returns home to Bob Houlihan Court on Tuesday (Dec. 2) to take on #21 Bentley at 5:00 p.m.