Washington, D.C. – The Molloy men's basketball team defeated the Firebirds of the University of the District of Columbia, 82-76, Wednesday evening. Following the victory, the Lions improve to 7-14 overall and 7-4 in East Coast Conference play, while the Firebirds move to 3-17 overall and 2-10 in league play.
 
How it Happened

• Points were hard to come by for the Lions in the opening 6:10 of the contest, falling behind, 12-6.
• Over the next 1:16 sophomore Dylan Kopp put together a six-point of his own to knot the contest at 12.
• UDC found a rhythm on offense through the next five minutes of action, rallying to an 11-0 run to take its largest lead of the game, 23-12, with 7:33 to play in the first half.
• The contest would remain a multi-possession lead for the Firebirds for most of the remainder of the opening stanza, before junior Manu Alford drained a three-point field goal to get the Lions within two, 36-34, with 1:06 to go.
• The home team would net a pair of free throws to close the first half and take a 38-34 lead into halftime.
• Kopp kicked off the second half with another 6-0 run by himself in the first 1:10, draining a three-point shot and converting three free throws to push the Lions in front, 40-38.
• After the Firebirds retook the lead, 43-40, the cardinal and white began to click on offense. Putting together a mini 8-0 rally that saw four different members of the squad find the scoresheet and go ahead, 48-43, with over 15 minutes left on the scoreboard.
• UDC would not allow Molloy to take control of the game through the next six minutes, chipping away at the deficit before eventually regaining the lead, 59-57, with 9:12 to play.
• The game turned into a back-and-forth battle as the contest saw four lead changes over the next three minutes of play. The road team was able to create breathing room, sneaking in a 6-0 run to reestablish its five-point lead, 70-65, with 5:01 to go.
• The home team scratched and clawed its way back to within one, 72-71, with 3:06 to play after a layup from Oliver Spence.
• The final three minutes saw the Lions hold UDC to two field goals and shoot four-of-four from the foul line in the final 15 seconds to go on and clinch the victory, 82-76.

Top Performances

• Kopp tied a game-high 22 points on 50 percent shooting.
• Junior Jared Weakly totaled 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, and three blocks.
• Alford tallied 13 points and six rebounds.
• Freshman Chase Timberlake added eight points and eight rebounds.

Up Next
Molloy will conclude its three-game road trip in Rochester, N.Y. Friday, February 13 at Roberts Wesleyan. Tip-off against the Redhawks is set for 8:00 p.m.