Men's Basketball Stifles Molloy, 79-50
Box Score
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (February 20, 2010) – The C.W. Post men's basketball team, led by freshman Jonathan Kohler's (Bordentown, N.J.) 19 points, dominated both offensively and defensively as the Pioneers rolled to a 79-50 victory over Molloy College on Saturday afternoon.
The Pioneers improve to 20-5 overall and 16-3 in conference play, the third consecutive season the Pioneers have reached the 20-win plateau. The win also marks the 41st straight victory on the floor of the Pratt Recreation Center. Molloy slips to 11-15, 9-10 in the ECC.
The Pioneers came out firing as they led 12-8 after Kohler's three at 14:46. They increased the lead to seven after another trey by the rookie at 12:42, and led by double-digits just after the halfway mark, 23-13, after senior forward Nemanja Jokic (Sombor, Serbia) swished a three-pointer.
Molloy cut the Pioneer lead down to seven points with 2:18 to play after Brian Hutchinson hit a jumper, but the hosts answered with two free throws from Deshawn Gibbons (Roxbury, Mass.) and a layup and three-pointer from Kohler, and the C.W. Post took a 39-29 lead into the halftime break.
Holding a comfortable double-digit lead coming out of the half, the Pioneers kept Molloy at arm's length, averaging a lead between 11 and 13 points for the first ten minutes of play in the second half. Leading 50-39 at the 11:56 mark, the Pioneers embarked on a 12-1 run that ballooned their lead to a 62-40 margin.
C.W. Post would lead by more than 24 points the rest of the contest, topping out at a 30-point lead, 76-46, at 1:23 after senior guard Stephen Mears (Middle Island, N.Y.) swished a three-pointer.
Kohler's 19 points came off 7-of-9 shooting from the floor including 2-3 from three point range. Junior guard Aaron Hall (Syracuse, N.Y.) scored 14 points, and senior guard Roberto Macklin (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) also added 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Billy Butler (Elmont, N.Y.) dished out a game-high eight assists.
Edward Freeman led Molloy with 14 points, and Girard Fitts scored 12 points. Carl Palmer chipped in with 10 points for Molloy.
C.W. Post shot 53% from the floor (31-58) and held a 45-29 edge on the glass. The Pioneers outscored Molloy in the paint 42-18, and had a 23/16 assist to turnover ratio.
Head coach Tim Cluess and the Pioneers remain at home this week as they host St. Thomas Aquinas on Wednesday at 7 p.m.