Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. – Junior
Bryce Merchant became the 23
rd player in program history to eclipse the 1000
th point mark as the Molloy men's basketball defeated the Mercy Mavericks, 84-73, Sunday afternoon inside Neil Judge Student Athlete Center. Following the victory the Lions have clinched a spot in the East Coast Conference Championship and improve to 8-16 overall and 8-6 in East Coast Conference play, while the Mavericks move to 2-22 overall and 2-13 in league play.
How it Happened
- The Mavericks jumped out to an early 10-4 lead in the opening 4:18 of play.
- Over the next 6:22 of play, the Lions put together a 17-4 rally shooting 58 percent from the floor while forcing four turnovers to jump in front, 21-14, with 8:07 to go in the opening stanza.
- The run saw Merchant lead the way with seven points with junior Chris Stokel putting up five points throughout the run.
- The cardinal and white maintained a multi-possession lead for the rest of the first half, taking a 36-32 advantage into halftime.
- The two team traded baskets to start off the second half, but a three-point basket from freshman Chase Timberlake regained the Lions' seven-point lead, 47-40, with 14:52 to play.
- Mercy made several attempts to close the gap on the Lions, but Molloy would answer each basket with one of their own before going on an 11-4 run midway through the second half to open a 62-51 advantage.
- The cardinal and white were paced by Stokel who netted nine of the 11 points on the back of three three-point field goals.
- The road team maintained its double-digit lead and opened its largest lead of the day, 70-58, with 6:18 left on the scoreboard.
- The Mavericks would not let up, chipping away at the deficit and knocking it down to as low as six, 74-68, with 2:08 to go.
- The final 2:08 saw the Lions shoot two-of-two from the field and six-of-six from the free throw line as they would go on to close the victory, 84-73.
Top Performances
- Stokel netted a career-high 26 points on the back of shooting 64 percent from the floor.
- Merchant followed with 24 points while shooting 69 percent from the field and grabbing eight rebounds.
- Junior Jared Weakly tallied a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds while blocking four shots.
Up Next
Molloy will host its final regular season home game Wednesday, February 25 on senior day as they welcome the University of the District of Columbia to Rockville Centre. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
