Women's Basketball Drops Close Contest to Molloy, 68-61
Box Score
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (February 20, 2010) – Despite a 20-point effort from junior guard
Janea Aiken (St. Albans, N.Y.), the C.W. Post women's basketball came out on the losing end of a close back-and-forth battle with the Molloy College Lions on Saturday afternoon at the Pratt Center, falling by a final score of 68-61.
The game started out tight as both teams exchanged baskets and the score was knotted 4-4 at the 15:45 mark. The Lions scored in three straight possessions to take a 10-4 lead, butsenior guard
Gina Catherall (Bayside, N.Y.) sparked the Pioneers with a three at 13:31,
Alyssa Lombardi (New Fairfield, Conn.) hit a jumper at 12:19, and following a three by Aiken at 11:57, C.W. Post led by two, 12-10.
Another Catherall trey put the hosts up 15-10 at 9:59, and two more Pioneers baskets saw the lead increase to nine points, 19-10, at 9:02. But after pushing to a double-digit lead at 7:30, 23-12, the Lions would outscore the Pioneers 10-4 the rest of the half, and C.W. Post went into halftime up by four, 27-23.
Coming out of the break, the Pioneers were able to maintain their lead as Aiken hit a jumper and then made two free-throws, but Lisa Claxton's three-point play at 17:08 tie the game up at 31-31, and although the Pioneers pulled ahead on their next possession on a layup by senior guard
Chantee Hallett (Bronx, N.Y.), Claxton scored the next seven Lion points, capped by a layup at 14:48 that gave the visitors a three-point advantage, 40-37.
The Lions stretched their advantage to six points after a free throw by Lisa Abitante, but the Pioneers clawed back as Hallett made a free throw and sophomore guard
Felicia Joyner (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) nailed a jumper. Two free throws from Aiken at the 8:02 mark made the score 44-43 Molloy, and the Pioneers tied the score at 7:06 on two free throws from Catherall.
Back-and-forth play ensued for the next five minutes with neither team able to mount a sustainable lead, and the score was tied for the tenth time in the game, 61-61 at 2:03. Coming out of a timeout, Molloy's Tatiana Lopez swished a jumper to give Molloy the 63-61 lead, and after a missed three on the offensive end for the Pioneers, Clarissa Jones hit two free throws to make the Pioneer deficit 65-61.
Another two missed layups for the Pioneers saw
Caitlin Wheeler hit a free throw followed by another two from the stripe by Clarissa Jones as Molloy was able to outlast the Pioneers' last-ditch effort and finish with a hard-fought 68-61 win.
Aiken led all scorers with her 20-point effort, which saw her shoot 7-of-8 from the charity stripe whil also passing out five assists and grabbing three steals. Catherall also scored in double figures with 10 points, and Lombardi pulled down 11 boards for the Pioneers.
Claxton's 17-points led the Lions, with 13 of those points coming in the second half of play. Wheeler scored 11 points and Jones chipped in with 10 for Molloy.
C.W. Post will next host St. Thomas Aquinas on Wednesday, February 24 at 5 p.m. at the Pratt Recreation Center.