Rockville Centre, N.Y. - Sophomore Rob Matos netted his 1000th career point in tonight's contest against St. Thomas Aquinas College. The Lions were unable to leave Houlihan Gymnasium with a victory, falling to the Spartans, 104-83. Molloy sits at 8-16 on the season and 4-9 in East Coast Conference play in the loss while STAC improved to 19-8 (11-3 ECC).

How it Happened

• The score was knotted four times in the opening six minutes, but an 11-point run from the Spartans gave the visitors a 21-11 advantage.
• Jump shots from Matos, sophomore Bryce Merchant, and freshman Sebastian Bosquez brought the Lions back within four with 10 minutes remaining in the first half.
• A 12-9 run from Molloy would make it a one-point game, 32-31, but STAC would net the next six to set the score at 38-31 with 4:04 on the clock.
• Seven points from Matos paired two from Merchant and four from graduate student Matt Lane would tie the contest at 44 headed into the final minute. 
• STAC would hit a layup in the final 10 seconds to carry a 46-44 lead into the halftime break.
• Despite exchanging baskets to open the half, knotting the score at 47, STAC quickly opened up to a double digit lead within five minutes. 
• Molloy hung with them, cutting the deficit to as five, 71-66, with 11 minutes left to play. 
• The Spartans responded with a 15-4 run to extend the lead to 15, 89-74. The Lions were unable to bridge the gap in the final six minutes, falling 104-83.

Top Performances

• Matos shot 10-of-18 from the field in his milestone contest and totaled 30 points.
• Merchant tallied 21 and led with four assists to go with five rebounds and a block.
• Junior Payton Shumpert had 12 points to go with five boards.
• Lane led with eight rebounds and two blocks while adding eight points. 
• Bosquez had seven points and three rebounds.

Up Next
Molloy will be on the road on Saturday (Feb. 22) against Mercy University. Tip-off from Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. is slated for 2:00 p.m.