WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ROLLS TO FOURTH-STRAIGHT VICTORY AT NYIT, 52-31

Box Score vs. NYIT - February 6, 2010

OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (Feb. 6, 2010) – On Saturday, the Molloy College defense kept the New York Institute of Technology offense at bay as it shot just 16.4 percent from the floor. As a result, the Lions picked up a 52-31 win over the Bears at Recreation Hall in Old Westbury, N.Y. With the decision, Molloy goes to 14-6 overall and 11-4 in East Coast Conference action. The Lions have also won four in a row, and seven of their previous eight contests. As for NYIT, it drops to 4-17 and 4-9 in the league. In addition, the Bears have lost their last 13 games.

Trailing 5-4 with just under 16 minutes remaining in the first half, Molloy notched an 8-1 spurt during a four-minute stint to go up 12-6 with 11:44 left. Senior guards Clarissa Jones (Boston, Mass.) and Lisa Abitante (Brooklyn, N.Y.) opened and capped the run with a lay-up, respectively. Soon after, the Lions led 19-12 with just over seven minutes to go. They then proceeded to outscore the Bears by a 9-1 count in the running minutes of the period to head into the locker room with a 28-13 lead. Jones scored four points in the burst, while Abitante had two.

Up 28-16 with less than 19 minutes remaining in the second stanza, Molloy rattled off a 9-0 streak in a five-minute stretch to snatch its largest lead (37-16) at the 13:34 mark. Sophomore guard Scarlett Demchak (Merrick, N.Y.) buried a key trey from the corner. Jones drove the lane for an easy jay to start it. NYIT responded though with a 7-0 run, which cut the deficit to 37-23, but it wasn’t enough as the Lions never relinquished the advantage. The Bears’ spurt was quickly silenced though by another Demchak make from downtown.

For Molloy, senior forward E.J. Dreyer (Floral Park, N.Y.) posted a double-double with 11 rebounds and 10 points. Junior center Caitlin Wheeler (Belle Harbor, N.Y.) totaled 10 rebounds, six blocks and five points. Jones registered a game-high 14 points to go with three rebounds. Abitante had seven points and five boards. Demchak provided six points, five rebounds and a steal off of the bench. As for NYIT, senior forward Maggie McKee (Bay Shore, N.Y.) collected a team-leading nine points. She also pulled down a pair of rebounds.

Head Coach Tim O’Hagan and the Lions return to the court this Wednesday when they commence a three-game homestand at Quealy Gymnasium against ECC nemesis Queens College. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. If you are unable to make it, you can follow all of the progress via Live Stats or by our new broadcast feed.