Fast start for Molloy Lady Lions

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The Molloy College women’s basketball program seems to be on an upswing, after posting a winning conference record and earning a berth in the East Coast Conference playoffs last winter. However, building on that success this season will not be an easy task for the Lady Lions, as they are faced with a daunting schedule of games. 

Molloy not only has to navigate the highly competitive ECC, but also faces several challenging out-of-conference opponents, such as Caldwell, Bentley, Pace and Stony Brook. Lady Lions’ head coach Joe Pellicane is certainly aware of his club’s difficult road ahead, but is not lowering expectations because of it. 

“If you’re afraid of competition, you should do something else,” Pellicane said. “What we’re hoping is that come February the Molloy women’s college basketball team is going to be extremely competitive.” 

So far this season, the Lady Lions have been far from crippled by their schedule. Molloy has jumped out to an 8-2 start (2-1 in ECC play), and has given Pellicane a lot to be pleased with over the opening month of play.

“There’s been lot of terrific things from the club early on,” he said. “I like the altruistic attitude that is displayed on a regular basis. We have players that truly care about success and not their own individual statistics. That’s always a pleasure for any coach to have.”

One of the team’s top performers has been senior guard Aliyah McDonald, who Pellicane says has been playing like a senior this season. McDonald has done a quality job of scoring and getting her teammates involved, as she leads the squad with 16.7 points and 4.0 assists per game. 

Sophomore guard Ihnacinse Grady has done well alongside McDonald in the backcourt, averaging 9.8 points and 2.5 assists in six games played. 

The Lady Lions also added six new players to the roster, three of which are graduate students. “Our new grad students and freshmen have all made contributions,” Pellicane said. “We hope it not only continues, but enhances as they become more comfortable and the team becomes more comfortable with each other and our style of play.”

One of those grad students is guard Kamala Thompson, who has contributed 14.4 points per game, and provided Molloy with another productive scorer.

Grad student forwards Symone Kelly and Jessica Kalbfleisch have also been strong additions for the club. Kelly averages 11.2 points per contest, while Kalbfleisch has a team-high 8.1 rebounds per game. 

Senior guard Maggie Salomone, freshman guard Kathryn Gibson and sophomore guard McKayla Hernandez have all started games, and given the team productive minutes as well.

“We don’t rely on just one or two kids,” Pellicane said. “It’s not even important who starts the game, it’s more important who ends the game. We get contributions from several different people in our lineup. That’s very rewarding for not only the kids, but the coaches as well.”

Molloy has looked impressive to this point, and has particularly done well in fourth quarters, where they have outscored opponents, 144-128. However, the team still has many of its most challenging games ahead.

“It’s a long season, and we’ll see how we go as we enter league play,” Pellicane said. “The East Coast Conference is a very strong women’s Division-II basketball league. We have to be consistent. It’s a grind. College basketball is a marathon. And you have to really display to your teammates and your coaches that you truly care about being a professional.”