MEN’S BASKETBALL FALLS TO NO. 2 C.W. POST IN ECC TUNE-UP, 95-56

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

BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Feb. 21, 2009) – The Molloy College men’s basketball team was handed its fifth-consecutive loss by East Coast Conference foe and second-ranked C.W. Post, 95-56, on Saturday afternoon at the Pratt Recreation Center in Brookville, N.Y. With the decision, the Lions went to 7-18 overall and 6-10 against league opposition. As for the Pioneers, they continue to keep their perfect season alive with a 22-0 ledger. They are also 18-0 in ECC play.

Leading 5-2 with just over 17 minutes to go in the opening half, C.W. Post out-scored Molloy 20-2 in the next six-plus minutes to grab a 25-4 advantage with 9:44 left. In the process, the Pioneers sported a 16-0 streak during a span of 4:02. Senior guard Jonathan Schmidt (Centereach, N.Y.) capped off the burst with a pair of three-balls. Senior guard Kevin Spann (West Babylon, N.Y.) drained a trifecta as well. Junior forward Lyndon Daniel (St. George’s, Grenada) netted two jumpers in the effort.

Two minutes later, the Lions found themselves trailing by 23 points at 29-6 with 7:14 remaining. They then drew up a 10-2 run in a time of 2:08 to make the score 31-16 with 5:06 to go. Freshman forward Sean Hehir (Massapequa, N.Y.) and junior forward Girard Fitts (Uniondale, N.Y.) knocked down a trifecta apiece in the spurt. Junior forward Ian Thomas-Minor (Brooklyn, N.Y.) hit a jumper as well.

Soon after, the Pioneers were ahead 33-18 with less than three minutes left before the break. They closed out the half with a 7-3 spurt to head into halftime with a 40-19 lead. Schmidt started things up with a three-point play. Senior guards Kenny Burkes (Suitland, Md.) and Nick Carter (Huntington Station, N.Y.) began and ended the run with a respective pair of free throws.

Molloy came out of the gate strong in the second half. It notched a 10-4 streak over a span of 2:17 to cut the deficit to 44-29 with 17:38 to go. Freshman guard Chris Manning (Queens, N.Y.) scored the opening four points on a jumper and a lay-up off of the fast break. Fitts closed it with six points off of back-to-back three-point goals from the corner.

C.W. Post answered with a 6-0 burst in a little more than a minute to bring the lead back to a 21-point margin (50-29) with 16:15 left. Daniel began it by making one of two from the foul line. Carter followed with a three-point play. Junior guard Roberto Macklin (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) finished the run with a lay-up off of a pass into the post from Carter.

Later on, the Pioneers led 53-32 with over 13 minutes remaining in regulation. They subsequently put the contest away for good with a 10-2 streak over a two-plus minute stint to snatch a 63-34 margin in their favor. Schmidt accounted for four of the points on a lay-up and a pair of free throws. Carter had another three-point play. Macklin finished up the burst with another lay-up.

The Lions’ offensive effort was headed up by sophomore forward Brian Hutchinson (Elmont, N.Y.), who earned a team-leading 12 points and six rebounds. Fitts recorded 11 points and four rebounds. Thomas-Minor totaled nine points and four rebounds. Manning and Hehir tallied seven points each. Manning also collected four assists, four steals and two rebounds, while Hehir raked four rebounds and two assists.

Freshman forward Matt Wafula (Harlem, N.Y.) amassed four points and three rebounds. Freshman center/forward Dariel Concha (Valley Stream, N.Y.) added three points and three rebounds. Junior guard Carl Palmer (Brooklyn, N.Y.) checked in with two points and two steals.

As for C.W. Post, which shot 49.2 percent (29-for-59) from the floor and 41.9 percent (13-for-31) from downtown, Schmidt accumulated 25 points on 8-for-14 shooting with nine rebounds and four assists. Spann scored 14 points. He also dished out four assists and swiped two steals. Carter compiled 13 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals. Burkes notched 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal.

Macklin finished with nine points, four rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal. Daniel gathered eight points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Aaron Daly (New York, N.Y.) picked up six points off of a pair of treys. Junior forward James Tchana (Douala, Cameroon) chipped in with four points and four rebounds. Junior guard Stephen Mears (Middle Island, N.Y.) and senior guard Kellen Scantlebury (South Setauket, N.Y.) earned three points apiece.

Head Coach Charlie Marquardt and his squad return to action this Wednesday when Molloy hosts its final regular season home contest at Quealy Gymnasium against ECC opponent Queens College. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. If you are unable to attend, you can follow all of the progress via Live Stats at http://livestats.prestosports.com/molloy or through a video stream at http://www.eccsports.tv.