Rockville Centre, N.Y. - One day after the women took care of business by eliminating Dowling, the men were not able to pull the upset over #3 Molloy in the East Coast Conference quarterfinal game played in Quealy Gymnasium in Rockville Centre as Molloy defeated Queens, 69-58. Jeremiah Mordi led the Knights with 17 points.
The game opened at a frenetic pace as both sides were running the court and throwing up shots . Queens trailed 8-7 early on as Amir Tarif scored on a put back and a foul-line jumper. From there Molloy pushed the lead to 12-7, causing the Knights to use a timeout.
Following the respite, Jeremiah Mordi nailed his second three-pointer in the first four minutes to pull QC within two points, 12-10. The Lions answered with a Jaylen Morris trifecta and Molloy led 15-10, with 14:46 remaining. Mordi committed his second foul at the 12:27 mark, and the team's leading scorer was forced to sit for most of the half.
Down 15-10, Dejuhan Gray hit a baseline jumper, and on the next possession Gray found Ronald Washington, Jr., who hit a bank shot over seven-footer, Tyler Hammett to pull Queens within 15-14. After a John Petrucelli driving layup, Patrick Parker found Amir Tarif for the hoop and harm and the Knights were within one point again.
Queens and Molloy kept the frenzied pace up for the remainder of the half, but neither side made many baskets. Parker's three inside of three minutes got the Knights back within one at 24-23, but Molloy responded with a basket to lead 26-23. Finally, with a minute to play, QC drew even when Dallas Serrano made a top-of-the-key three-pointer to knot the score at 26-26. The Lions scored on the ensuing possession and beat the buzzer with a three-point to lead at the half, 31-26.
In the first half, the Knights held the ECC Player of the Year, Petrucelli to two points, on just 1-of-9 shooting. Tarif scored eight to lead Queens.
The Lions scored the first four points of the second half to lead 35-26. Following a Knights timeout, Gray hit a long jumper to pull QC within four, at 38-34 with 14:37 left. The Knights trimmed the deficit to one possession at 12:47, when Mordi found Tommie Starkes, Jr. on a backdoor cut to make the score 40-38. But once again, Molloy answered on the ensuing possession.
After a pair of Mordi foul shots got Queens within two again, Brandon Williams made a pair of his own and the gap was four points. From there, Molloy employed a full court press which contributed a two-and-a-half minute scoring drought that was broken up by a Gray free throw at 7:52; getting the Knights within five, 48-43.
A Mordi three at 6:16 pulled the Knights within three, at 51-48 and Molloy called a timeout. Off the intermission, the Lions had a 5-0 run that promptly ended with an emphatic hoop and harm from Gray.
With less than three minutes left and trailing 56-50, Mordi was fouled on a three-point attempt. The Valley Stream, New York product sank all three, and QC was within one possession again. The Lions responded with an open three-pointer from Williams and a driving layup from Jaylen Morris and Molloy led 61-53 with 1:55 left. The fouled the rest of the way and Molloy went on to win.
Tarif finished with 14 points for the Knights and Gray had nine points and ten rebounds. The team finished the 2013-14 season with an overall record of 9-18.
