PALMER’S 24-POINT EFFORT PROPELS MEN’S BASKETBALL PAST STAC IN REGULAR-SEASON FINALE, 70-61

Box Score vs. STAC - February 28, 2009

SPARKILL, N.Y. (Feb. 28, 2009) – Junior guard Carl Palmer (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tallied a game-high 24 points on Saturday afternoon to lead the Molloy College men’s basketball team to a 70-61 win over East Coast Conference opponent St. Thomas Aquinas College in its final regular-season match-up of 2008-09 at Aquinas Hall in Sparkill, N.Y. He scored 17 of his points in the opening half and drained a total of six three-pointers in the game.

Leading 4-2 with 18-plus minutes to go in the first half, the Lions (8-19, 7-11 ECC) recorded a 17-2 run in a five-minute period to take hold of a 21-4 advantage with 13:37 left. Palmer accounted for all of the scoring off of five three-balls and a jay. The Spartans (10-16, 8-10 ECC) answered with a big burst of their own. It was a 15-2 streak over a four-minute stint to cut the deficit to 23-19 with 9:41 remaining.

Freshman guard Ra’Shad James (White Plains, N.Y.) and senior forward Jelani Winfield (Woodside, N.Y.) scored four points each. Senior guard Chris Williams (Astoria, N.Y.) hit a three-pointer. Senior forward Akeem Comas (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and junior forward Ahmed Allen (Brooklyn, N.Y.) accumulated two points apiece off of a pair of free throws and a lay-up, respectively, in the spurt.

Molloy had a response though as it registered a 12-0 run during a span of 4:59 to go back ahead by double digits at 35-19 with 3:08 to go. Junior forward Ian Thomas-Minor (Brooklyn, N.Y.) raked six points off of three lay-ups. Junior forward Girard Fitts (Uniondale, N.Y.) and freshman forward Matt Wafula (Harlem, N.Y.) added lay-ups as well. Eventually, the Lions went into the break ahead 39-25.

The second half never saw a big streak as both teams traded baskets and the margin never fell short of double digits until the final minutes. The closest that STAC came in the period was nine on a dunk by Comas off of an alley-oop feed by Winfield.

Molloy finished at 60.0 percent (27-of-45) shooting from the field, 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from beyond the arc and 66.7 percent (11-of-15) from the charity stripe. Aside from Palmer, who was 9-of-14 from field-goal range and 6-of-10 from downtown, sophomore forward Brian Hutchinson (Elmont, N.Y.) posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Thomas-Minor registered 12 points, five rebounds and two steals. Fitts earned nine points, two assists and two steals.

Junior guard Michael Johnson (Jamaica, N.Y.) tallied eight assists, six points, four steals and one rebound. Freshman guard Chris Manning (Queens, N.Y.) amassed three rebounds, three assists, three steals and two points. Wafula contributed two points and one steal.

As for the Spartans, they were 22-of-46 (47.8 percent) from the floor and 13-of-22 (59.1 percent) from the free-throw line. Winfield finished with a team-leading 16 points, seven rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Junior guard Chad Williams (Jamaica, N.Y.) accumulated 10 points and three steals. Comas and Allen scored eight points apiece. Comas also grabbed four rebounds and passed two assists, while Allen had two rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Sophomore forward Jamie Blanchard (Brooklyn, N.Y.) picked up six points and three rebounds. James and junior guard Vincent Johnson (Teaneck, N.J.) had five points each. Chris Williams compiled three points, three assists, one rebound and one steal.

Head Coach Charlie Marquardt and the Lions have now secured the eighth seed in the East Coast Conference Tournament. They will travel to Brookville, N.Y. on Wednesday night to battle second-ranked and top-seeded C.W. Post in the quarterfinal round. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.