Rockville Centre, N.Y. – After shooting 53 percent from the floor and 86 percent from the foul line in the final 20 minutes, the Molloy men's basketball team topped the Saints of D'Youville, 84-76, Friday evening on Bob Houlihan Court. Following the win, the Lions move improve to 3-12 overall and 3-2 in East Coast Conference play, while the Saints move to 3-12 overall and 3-4 in league play.
 
How it Happened

• It took some time for both squads to find a rhythm on offense, as defense shined in the opening 10 minutes of play.
• Freshman Chase Timberlake finished a layup and converted a three-point play at the line to give the Lions a 16-13 lead with 10:14 remaining in the opening stanza.
• After junior Chris Stokel sunk a three to keep Molloy in front, 19-17, D'Youville put together a furious 11-0 run in a 1:38 span where they shot four-of-four from the field and three-of-three from three-point range to take a 28-19 lead with 6:03 to play in the first half.
• The road team would keep Molloy at arm's length over the next 2:30 of action, taking its largest lead of the game, 34-23, with under four minutes to go until halftime.
• The cardinal and white closed the half on a 10-0 run, on the back of shooting eight-of-ten from the free throw line and forcing three turnovers to come within one, 34-33, heading into halftime.
• The Saints began the opening 3:46 of the second half on an 11-4 rally to regain control of the contest, 45-37.
• Molloy settled into a groove over the next 2:15 of action, clinging to a 11-2 run that saw four members of the squad find the scoresheet. The run was paced by sophomore Dylan Kopp who had five points to help the Lions push back in front, 48-47, with 13:59 left on the scoreboard.
• The contest would turn into a back-and-forth shootout over the next five plus minutes, as both teams would shoot 50 percent from the field to bring the contest back to all square at 62 with 8:20 to play.
• The two squads would not give one another any breathing room over through the following 4:27, as the contest would see four lead changes and four ties en route to a 71-71 deadlock with 3:53 remaining.
• The final 3:53 saw the cardinal and white put together a 13-5 run, paced by junior Bryce Merchant who scored seven points alongside the squad shooting six-of-six from the charity stripe, and holding the Saints to just one field goal en route to the victory, 84-76.

 
Top Performances

• Merchant led all scorers with 22 points on the back of shooting 11-of-13 from the free throw line.
• Kopp collected 19 points, five rebounds, and a game-high four steals.
• Stokel tallied 13 points off the bench.
• Junior Jared Weakly and Timberlake rounded out the top scorers with 10 points apiece with Timberlake grabbing a team-high seven rebounds and tying a team-high five assists.
• The Lions shot a season-high 87 percent from the free throw line (26-of-30).

 
Up Next
Molloy continues its home stand Sunday, January 18 as the second-ranked Daemen University Wildcats pay a visit to Rockville Centre. Tip-off on Bob Houlihan Court is set for 2:30 p.m.