ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – Junior Aliyah McDonald (Hempstead, N.Y.) totaled 15 points, six rebounds and five steals to lead Molloy College to a 63-57 victory over Daemen College here tonight in East Coast Conference women's basketball action.

Molloy improved to 11-16 overall (10-9 ECC) and claimed the sixth an final berth into the upcoming ECC Championship tournament with the win. Daemen, which entered the weekend having to win its final two regular-season games to keep their playoff hopes alive, dropped to 9-16 overall and 7-12 in the league. The Wildcats were looking to earn a bid to the ECC Championship tournament in their first season of eligibility.

Sophomore Sarah Saba (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) paced Daemen, as she connected on 9-of-18 shots and scored a game-high 23 points to go along with a game-high nine rebounds. It marked the ninth time this season Saba has scored 20 or more points. She is averaging a team-high 16.7 points on the year and has gone over 400 points on the year for the second-straight season. Junior Leah McDonell (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) added 11 points and seven rebounds, while classmate Natalie Galus (Hamburg, N.Y./Frontier) chipped in 11 points, five boards and two blocks.

Senior Kimani Jackson (Dix Hills, N.Y.) helped the Molloy cause with 11 points, six assists and three blocks, while junior Brianna Perlmutter (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added 11 points and five rebounds off the bench.

Neither team held a double-digit lead in the game, which featured nine lead changes and six ties.

Both teams struggled to score early on and Daemen took an 11-9 lead into the second quarter. Molloy opened the second quarter with 11 unanswered points and took its largest lead of the game, 20-11, following a layup by Perlmutter with 5:59 left before halftime. Daemen answered with a three-point play by McDonell and later cut the lead to a point, 23-22, after a steal by McDonell led to a layup by Saba with 2:45 left in the quarter. The teams went scoreless the rest of the quarter, as they combined to go 0-for-5 from the field and commit six turnovers.

The teams traded baskets for the first four minutes of the third quarter and Molloy held a 29-28 lead when the Wildcats put together a 7-2 spurt. A three-pointer by junior Jesse DeWaters (Lockport, N.Y./Niagara County CC) with four minutes left in the frame gave Daemen its largest lead of the game, 36-31. Daemen went scoreless the remainder of the quarter and Molloy closed out the frame with nine unanswered points.

Daemen stayed within striking distance early in the final quarter and eventually took a 50-49 lead after McDonell canned two free throws with 3:21 left. The Lions answered with a layup by senior Ally Leftridge (Melville, N.Y.) 23 seconds later and the hosts maintained the lead the rest of the game. Molloy held a six point lead, 58-52, with a half minute to play when Saba converted a three-point play to make it a one possession game. McDonald hit two clutch free throws with 27 seconds left, and after a Daemen turnover the Lions regained a six-point lead after senior Alexia O'Connor (Centerport, N.Y.) made one-of-two free throws with 19 seconds remaining. Saba scored with 10 seconds left, but the hosts secured the win after freshman Ihnacinse Grady (Amityville, N.Y.) canned two free throws with :08 seconds to play.

Daemen connected on just 9-of-24 (37%) shots in the first half and finished 22-for-56 (39%) from the field overall. The Wildcats made just 1-of-9 three-point attempts in the first half and finished 5-of-22 from downtown overall. Molloy shot 45-percent (14-for-31) from the field in the second half and finished 24-for-64 (37%) from the field overall. Molloy also struggled from behind the three-point line (1-for-12) in the first half, but made 3-of-6 shots from long range in the second half. Daemen finished with a 43-36 edge in total rebounds.

Turnovers were a key statistic in the game. The Wildcats turned the ball over 23 times (compared to just 12 for Molloy) and the Lions finished with a 15-6 edge in points off turnovers.

Daemen closes out the season Sunday (Feb. 28) with an ECC game at regionally-ranked Queens College. Game time is 1:30 p.m.

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