Rockville Centre, N.Y. - The women's basketball team's 66-53 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas College this afternoon from Bob Houlihan Court guaranteed the Lions a home game in the first round of the upcoming East Coast Conference Championship scheduled for March 4. The game will be the Lions' first home postseason game since the abbreviated 2020-21 season. Molloy improved to 11-14 on the season and 9-4 in league play while the loss set the Spartans at 7-19 (4-10 ECC).

How it Happened

• Molloy would net the first four points of the game but would otherwise struggle in the first quarter. The Spartans strung together a nine-point run to lead 12-6 before taking a 13-8 lead after 10 minutes.
• The Lions pivoted in the second frame, shooting nearly lights out from long distance (5-of-8). Five points from senior Rosa Rizzitelli capped off with a three-pointer from senior Sophia Yearwood tied the game at 16 in the opening minutes of the quarter.
• Later, an 11-0 run that saw three-pointers from both Yearwood and freshman Monique Echols helped Molloy jump in front, 27-18. 
• The Spartans would work the score back within three, 30-27, before a three-pointer from sophomore Grace Trotta in the final seconds of the half gave the Lions a six-point advantage at the break.
• The momentum carried over to start the third quarter as senior Colleen McCullagh netted nine of the first 11 points of the half to break open Molloy's lead, 42-29. 
• The Lions would lead by as many as 25 points at the end of the frame, 60-35, including netting 14 of the final 16 points.
• The Spartans took up most of the fourth quarter mounting a comeback, scoring 14-straight points over eight minutes of game time. The clock would expire before the visitors were able to come within single digits as a pair of foul shots from sophomore Jamie Davneiro rounded out the score at 66-53. 

Top Performances

• Yearwood topped the score sheet at 22 points, shooting 8-of-12 from the field and 4-of-6 from long distance, to go with five rebounds and three assists.
• McCullagh followed with 13 points, all of which came in the second half, to go with 10 rebounds for a double-double as well as three steals. 
• Freshman Sharmeela Ugbogbo also had a double-double with a game-leading 12 rebounds to go with 11 points as well as three blocks. 
• Rizzitelli led with nine assists and added eight rebounds. 

Up Next
Molloy will head to Mercy on Sunday (Feb. 22). In honor of Division II Day, the game is highlighted as the Game of the Week from FloCollege and will be available free of charge. Tip-off is slated for 12:00 p.m. from Dobbs Ferry.