FITTS’ BIG EVENING LEADS MEN’S BASKETBALL TO 75-64 VICTORY AGAINST STAC

Box Score vs. STAC - January 29, 2009 

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Jan. 29, 2009) - Junior forward Girard Fitts (Uniondale, N.Y) had 18 points, six steals, five assists and three rebounds as the Molloy College men's basketball team defeated St. Thomas Aquinas College, 75-64, on Thursday night at Quealy Gym in Rockville Centre, N.Y. With the decision, the Lions have now won two consecutive contests. They are also 5-13 overall and 4-5 in East Coast Conference action. 

Tied at 9-9 with less than 14 minutes remaining in the opening stanza, Molloy registered an 11-2 burst in a time of 2:56 to take a 20-11 lead with 10:46 left. Junior guard Carl Palmer (Brooklyn, N.Y.) started and ended off the run with a three-pointer. He also added a jay in the middle of it. Fitts contributed a lay-up after forcing a steal, and received the pass from junior guard Chris Manning (Queens, N.Y.), who raked six assists, three rebounds and two steals in the half. 

STAC (6-10, 4-5 ECC) responded with a 7-2 spurt over a span of 2:22 to cut the deficit to 22-18 with 6:53 to go. Junior forward Shaun Weaver (Congers, N.Y.) began it with a tip-in on a missed three-ball by freshman guard Ra'Shad James (White Plains, N.Y.). Junior guard Chad Williams (Jamaica, N.Y.) followed with a trifecta. Junior guard Vincent Johnson (Teaneck, N.J.) capped off the streak with a jumper. 

Soon after, the Lions put together a 13-2 run during a three-plus minute stretch to grab hold of a 35-20 advantage with 1:10 left. Fitts scored four of the points. Palmer, sophomore forward Brian Hutchinson (Elmont, N.Y.) and freshman forward Matt Wafula (Harlem, N.Y.) notched lay-ups. Molloy eventually went into the locker room ahead by a 37-24 count. 

Trailing 44-30 with just under 17 minutes remaining in the second half, the Spartans sported a quick 7-0 spurt in a 51-second period to come within a seven-point margin (44-37) with 16:21 to go. Senior forward Pierre Gaspard (Spring Valley, N.Y.) opened and wrapped up the burst with a lay-up and a pair of free throws, respectively. Senior forward Akeem Comas (Brooklyn, N.Y.) contributed a three-point play as well. 

Later on, Molloy led 57-50 with more than seven minutes to go. They then locked up the win with a 10-2 streak over a time of 2:14 to move ahead 67-52 with 5:06 left. Junior guard Ian-Thomas Minor (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tallied eight of the points. Hutchinson added the other two points on a lay-up. 

The Lions, who recorded 27 points off of turnovers, shot 51.0 percent (25-for-49) from the field, 44.4 percent (4-for-9) from downtown and 60.0 percent (21-for-35) from the foul line. Hutchinson posted a double-double with 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting with 10 boards. Palmer registered 12 points and two steals. Thomas-Minor chipped in with nine points and two rebounds. 

Manning amassed eight points, eight assists, five assists and four steals. Junior guard Michael Johnson (Jamaica, N.Y.) collected seven points, four steals, three boards and one assist. Freshman forward Sean Hehir (Massapequa, N.Y.) had five rebounds and one steal. 

As for St. Thomas Aquinas, it was 22-of-55 (40.0 percent) from the floor and 18-of-24 (75.0 percent) from the charity stripe. Junior forward Ahmed Allen (Brooklyn, N.Y.) accumulated a team-leading 15 points with eight boards, five assists and one block. Comas notched 14 points, four rebounds, two steals and one block. Gaspard registered 12 points and six boards. James picked up 11 points and three boards. 

Weaver raked in six rebounds and two points. Johnson contributed four points, four boards and one assist. Chad Williams gathered four points, one rebound, one assist and one steal. Senior guard Chris Williams (Astoria, N.Y.) checked in with four assists, two points and one steal. 

Head Coach Charlie Marquardt and his squad return to the court this Saturday when Molloy will try to keep its winning streak alive on the road at Mercy College. The opening tip is slated for 3:30 p.m. If you are unable to make it to the game, you can view the progress via Live Stats at http://livestats.prestosports.com/mercy.