Molloy Trips Up Men's Basketball in Overtime, 75-73
Box Score
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (January 2, 2013) – The LIU Post men's basketball dropped a nail-biter to Molloy College on Saturday afternoon at the Pratt Recreation Center, as the Pioneers rallied from an early deficit, traded the lead back and forth, but fell in overtime to the Lions by a 75-73 final.
The Pioneers slip to 13-6 on the season and 8-3 in conference play, while Molloy takes sole possession of second place in the standings with a 9-2 conference record and a 13-6 mark overall.
It marks only the second loss against the Lions in the past 11 years, and the first ever loss for the Pioneers against Molloy since the Pratt Recreation Center opened in 2002.
The hosts offense could not find its rhythm early on, and Molloy took advantage, holding a 19-8 advantage at the 11:15 mark. But freshman
Dillon Burns (Staten Island, N.Y.) hit back-to-back treys to cut the lead to seve, and the Pioneers chipped away until they trailed by just four, 23-19, after sophomore
Charles McCann (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) hit two free throws at 7:24.
But a jumper by Kevin Bowles, and three-pointer by Jimmy Nolan, and a trey by Bowles in three consecutive possessions ballooned the Molloy lead to 12. The Pioneers cut it to a manageable six point deficit as time expired in the first half and trailed 35-29 going into the break.
Coming out of the half, the Pioneers tied it at 35-35 with two jumpers by senior
Tobin Carberry (Hamden, Conn.) and a layup by
Tyuan Williams (Newark, N.J.), but the visitors went on a quick 10-2 run that gave them an eight-point lead (45-37) with 14:55 to play.
The Pioneers continued to claw their way back into contention however, and drew to within three points on a Carberry lay-in with 5:33 to play. Less than thirty seconds later, senior
Billy Butler (Elmont, N.Y.) forced a turnover, grabbed the steal, and finished the layup to give the Pioneers their first lead of the half, 57-56. Molloy regained the lead with a John Petrucelli layup, but Carberry nailed a three-pointer at 3:32 to put the Pioneers up 60-58.
But Brandon Williams countered with a three of his own at 2:06 to reclaim the lead for the Lions, and jumpers by Carberry and Nolan forced the lead to change hands another two times. The Pioneers took a 64-63 lead with 33 seconds remaining and Carberry hit two free throws with 15 seconds left to put the Pioneers up 66-63, but Bowles swished a three from the left corner with five seconds on the clock to force overtime.
The Lions scored back-to-back baskets to open up play in OT, taking a 70-66 lead with 3:27 left. They were able to hold off the Pioneers and stretch their advantage to five, 73-68, with just 30 seconds left. But Carberry swished a three with 24 seconds left but keep the Pioneers in the game, and Williams only hit one free throw to keep the lead at one possession. Junior
Vaughn Allen (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) sank two free throws with five seconds to play and after a Pioneer foul, Nolan only hit one free throw, but the Pioneers could not get the tying attempt off on their final possession.
Carberry snapped out of a three-game shooting slump with 21 points and nine rebounds, while senior guard
Jonathan Kohler (Bordentown, N.Y.) added 12 points. Williams chipped in with 10 points, Burns added nine, and Butler dished out nine assists. Allen garnered 13 rebounds, helping the Pioneers to a +11 advantage on the glass.
Nolan also snapped a cold streak with 22 points, while Bowles scored 20 and Petrucelli chipped in with 15.
The Pioneers look to return to the win column on Wednesday, taking on Queens in Flushing at 7:30 p.m.