Strong First Half Helps Men's Basketball Defeat Molloy, 84-67
ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Jan. 27, 2010) – The C.W. Post men's basketball used a strong first half to build a commanding lead, and maintained a double-digit lead for the game behind five players in double figures on Wednesday evening, defeating Molloy 84-67 at Quealey Gymnasium.
Winners of 11 straight, the Pioneers now stand at 14-4 overall and 10-2 in the East Coast Conference, while Molloy College slips to 8-12 overall and 6-6 in the ECC.
Molloy took a 3-0 lead on a trey by Harley Fuller, but C.W. Post's Billy Butler (Elmont, N.Y.) quickly tied things up with a three of his own. C.W. Post quickly doubled up the Lions, taking an 11-5 lead following dunk by Aaron Hall (Syracuse, N.Y.), then increasing to a 19-10 advantage after a long three from Roberto Macklin (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.). The visitors' lead quickly grew to double digits as junior Gil Montalvo (Astoria, N.Y.) swished a three and made the score 22-10 in favor of C.W. Post.
The Pioneers continued to keep the offensive pressure on, and the lead bulged into the 20-point range at the 3:33 mark as Hall's lay-up made the score 38-19, C.W. Post. The Pioneers would go into the halftime break with a commanding 47-25 lead.
The second half saw much of the same as the Pioneers opened with a 12-6 run and increased their lead to 28 points, and the lead would fluctuate in the mid-twenties for much of the second half. Molloy was able to make a run late in the second half, starting at the 11:08 mark, where the Pioneers held a 28-point lead, 68-40. From that point until the 6:40 point, Molloy went on an 18-2 spree, pulling to within 12 points after Edward Freeman hit both ends of a one and one.
However, the Pioneers rattled off back to back jumpers from Montalvo and Macklin, and following another Molloy basket, scored seven straight points to keep the Lions at arm's length, costing to the eventual 17-point victory.
Hall led the Pioneers on the evening with a game-high 23 points. Senior guard Nemanja Jokic (Sombor, Serbia) registered a double-double with 18 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, also adding five assists and one block. Macklin chipped in with 13 points, followed by Kohler, who's 12-point effort combined with four assists and three steals to fill out the stat sheet. Montalvo's 10-point night rounded out the scoring for the Pioneers.
Molloy received double-figures from Brian Hutchinson with 16 points, Edward Freeman and Carl Palmer with 13 apiece, and Fuller's 11-point effort.
The Pioneers shot considerably better from the floor than the lions, making 32-of-63 from the floor for a 50% clip, compared to a 22-of-57 (38%) showing from Molloy. C.W. Post also held a 42-29 edge on the glass, and had a 20-14 assist-turnover ratio.
C.W. Post will look to continue its winning streak as it travels to St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday for a 3 p.m. East Coast Conference game.