ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – Sophomore Aliyah McDonald (Hempstead, N.Y.) scored a season-high 22 points and also grabbed nine rebounds to help Molloy College rally for an 83-81 victory over Daemen College here tonight in East Coast Conference action.
Daemen dropped its third-straight game and fell to 8-9 overall and 5-6 in the ECC, while Molloy ran its winning streak to three games and improved to 8-10 overall and 4-7 in the league. It marked Molloy's first-ever victory over Daemen, as the Wildcats had prevailed in the previous three meetings between the two schools over the past two seasons.
Three players finished with a team-high 21 points for Daemen. Junior Raeann Stilwell (Cheektowaga, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) went 5-for-7 from three-point land and totaled 21 points, five rebounds and five assists. Stilwell now stands just 18 points shy of becoming the 22nd member of Daemen's 1,000-Point Club. Senior Shy Britton (Rochester, N.Y./Niagara University) canned 8-of-12 shots and added 21 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Freshman Sarah Saba (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) added 21 points and six boards.
Junior Kimani Jackson (Dix Hills, N.Y.) scored the game-winning points with 10 seconds to play and finished with 13 points for Molloy, while senior Nicole Arnone (Staten Island, N.Y.) added 14 points, nine rebounds and three steals.
Daemen took a 55-35 lead into halftime and increased the lead to 22-points after Britton scored the first two points of the second half. Molloy then outscored the Wildcats 21-6 over the next seven minutes and cut the lead to seven points, 63-56, following a layup by Jackson with 12:24 left to play. Daemen held a 72-62 lead with just under eight minutes to play when the Lions cut the lead in half following a jumper by senior Sabrina Padro (Bronx, N.Y.) and a three-pointer by junior Alexia O'Connor (Centerport, N.Y.). The Wildcats still held a six-point lead, 77-71, with just under five minutes left, but another triple by O'Connor sparked the hosts on an 8-1 run. A layup by McDonald with 3:04 to play capped the spurt and gave the hosts their first lead of the game, 79-78. The teams traded free throws and Molloy held an 80-79 lead when a bucket by Saba with 25 seconds left gave the Wildcats an 81-80 lead. Jackson then scored and was fouled with 10 seconds left. She canned the free throw for an 83-81 lead, and McDonald rejected a game-tying shot by Saba at the other end to secure the comeback.
Daemen scored the first seven points of the game and later took a 24-11 lead after sophomore Natalie Galus (Hamburg, N.Y./Frontier) drained a three-pointer with 13:22 left before intermission. The teams traded baskets for the next six minutes and Daemen held a 33-20 lead when the visitors put together a 7-2 spurt. Stilwell's fourth triple of the half capped the run and gave the Wildcats a 40-22 lead with just under four minutes left before intermission. Daemen took a 55-35 lead into the break.
Daemen shot 55-percent (18-33) from the field in the first half, but made just 7-of-21 shots (33%) over the final 20 minutes. The Wildcats connected on 9-of-15 three-pointers in the first half, but went 0-for-4 from downtown in the second half. Molloy shot 53-percent (17-32) in the second half after going just 12-for-34 (35%) from the field in the first half. Turnovers were also key statistic, as Daemen turned the ball over 23 times (compared to just 14 for Molloy) and the Lions finished with a 22-13 edge in points off turnovers.
Daemen returns to action tomorrow (Jan. 31) when it visits Queens College for an ECC game at 1:30 p.m.
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