THREE-POINT PROWESS POWERS NO. 2 C.W. POST PAST MEN’S BASKETBALL, 104-75

Box Score vs. C.W. Post - January 21, 2009

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Jan. 21, 2009) - On Wednesday evening, the second-ranked C.W. Post men's basketball team shot 58.3 percent from downtown to push itself to a 104-75 win over Molloy College at Quealy Gymnasium in Rockville Centre, N.Y. With the decision, the Lions went to 3-13 and 2-5 in the East Coast Conference. As for the Pioneers, they remain flawless at 13-0 and 7-0 in the league.  

Trailing 5-3 with under 18 minutes remaining in the first half, C.W. Post drew up an 11-2 run over a span of 1:42 to take a 14-7 lead with 16:01 to go. Senior guards Kevin Spann (West Babylon, N.Y.) and Nicholas Carter (Huntington Station, N.Y.) combined to notch three trifectas. Molloy came back with six unanswered to cut the deficit to one. Sophomore forward Brian Hutchinson (Elmont, N.Y.) started things with a pair of jumpers. 

Three minutes later, the margin remained one (16-15) at 13:49. The Pioneers then posted an 8-0 burst in a time of 2:33 to grab hold of a 24-15 advantage with 11:00 left. Carter accounted for all of the C.W. Post scoring as he knocked down a pair of threes and put up a lay-up. Carter wrapped up the opening stanza with a game-high 17 points, while Spann contributed 12 points. 

Shortly thereafter, the Lions trailed 35-25 with 5:06 remaining. The Pioneers then out-scored the opposition by a 9-4 count over the last four-plus minutes of the period to go into the intermission up 44-29. Spann had another three, while sophomore guard Gilbert Montalvo (Astoria, N.Y.) and junior forward James Tchana (Douala, Cameroon) each recorded deuces. 

C.W. Post kicked off the second half from where it left off in the first by collecting six points in a row. Senior guard Jonathan Schmidt (Centereach, N.Y.) had the opening three points off of a three-pointer and a made free throw. Carter wrapped it up with a lay-up. Following a Hutchinson three-point play at the 18:13 juncture, the Pioneers began a rout as it notched a 16-4 streak in a period of 3:27 to extend their lead to 30 points (66-36). 

Senior guard Kenny Burkes (Suitland, Md.) sparked it with the first eight points off of three lay-ups and a pair of free throws. Schmidt had the last six points on a three-ball and a three-point play. Junior forward Lyndon Daniel (St. George's, Grenada) also put back a shot via tip-in off a Burkes missed lay-up. That burst also proved to be all C.W. Post would need as the closest Molloy got from there was 26 points. 

Overall, the Lions shot 49.2 percent (29-for-59) from field-goal range and 70.0 percent (14-for-20) from the free-throw line. Junior guard Carl Palmer (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored 17 points on 7-for-16 shooting. Hutchinson and junior forward Girard Fitts (Uniondale, N.Y.) posted 16 points apiece. Fitts also amassed six rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Junior forward Ian Thomas-Minor (Brooklyn, N.Y.) totaled 14 points (8-10 FT) and three boards. 

Junior guard Chris Manning (Queens, N.Y.) registered eight points, five assists, two rebounds and one steal. Freshman forward Matt Wafula (Harlem, N.Y.) had four points and two boards. Junior guard Michael Johnson (Jamaica, N.Y.) raked three assists, two rebounds and two steals. 

As for the Pioneers, they were 37-of-66 (56.1 percent) from the floor, 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) from three-point range and 16-of-23 (69.6 percent) from the stripe. Spann finished with 22 points, four boards, two assists and one steal. Carter picked up 21 points and six rebounds. Schmidt posted 17 points, seven assists, two steals and two boards. Burkes notched 13 points, four assists and two steals. 

Tchana and junior guard Stephen Mears (Middle Island, N.Y.) checked in with eight points each. Tchana also pulled down nine rebounds and swatted away one block. Montalvo gathered seven points, six assists, three boards and one steal. Daniel registered eight rebounds, six points and three steals. Junior guard Roberto Macklin (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) added five boards, two points and two assists in 13 minutes of action. 

Head Coach Charlie Marquardt and his squad return to action this Saturday when Molloy attempts to halt a nine-game skid in Flushing, N.Y. at Queens College. The opening tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.