Flushing, N.Y. – The Molloy men's basketball team opened day one of the Conference Challenge Friday evening, falling to the Adelphi Panthers, 77-71, inside Fitzgerald Gymnasium on the campus of Queens College. The Lions move to 1-1 on the young season, while the Panthers improve to 2-2.
How it Happened
- Molloy opened the contest on a 9-3 run, shooting 4-of-6 from the field, as four different Lions found the scoresheet.
- Adelphi responded with a rally of their own, putting together a 9-2 run where they shot 66 percent from the floor and forced three Molloy turnovers to take a 12-11 lead midway through the first half.
- The contest would see five lead changes over the next 5:26 before senior Darius Coleman sunk a layup and completed a three-point play with a free throw to push the Lions ahead, 22-20.
- The two squads were deadlocked for the remainder of the half scoring 11 points apiece, but a pair of free throws from Coleman gave the cardinal and white a 33-31 advantage going into halftime.
- The Lions came into the second half red hot, shooting 63 percent from the field and 3-of-3 from three-point range to open their largest lead of the night, 46-38, 5:09 into the second half.
- The Panthers maintained the Lions push for control and responded with a mini 8-2 run over a 2:19 span to come within two, 48-46, with under 12 minutes remaining.
- Consecutive layups from senior Rashad Kee and Coleman reclaimed Molloy's multi-possession lead, 52-46, before Adelphi answered with a 10-3 run, shooting 4-of-4 from the field and holding the Lions without a field goal to take a 56-55 lead with 9:08 left on the scoreboard.
- The contest would see four lead changes and three ties over the next four minutes of action before Kee converted a free throw to give the Lions a 65-64 lead with 5:19 to play.
- The Panthers closed out the game with a 13-6 run, shooting 5-for-5 from the field and holding the Lions to 22 percent shooting from the floor to secure the victory, 77-71.
Top Performances
- Coleman tied a team-high 19 points while shooting 54 percent from the field.
- Merchant followed with 19 points while shooting at a 53 percent clip.
- Senior Jared Weakly pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds and tied a game-high three blocks while scoring seven points.
- Freshman Shamari Mitchell netted eight points and grabbed five rebounds.
Up Next
The Lions wrap up the Conference Challenge Saturday, November 14 against Pace at Queens College beginning at 1:00 p.m.
