Molloy relying on balanced attack

Four players scored in double figures to lead Molloy’s men’s basketball team to its first win of the season, 68-51, over East Coast Conference rival St. Thomas Aquinas Dec. 4.

Junior center Dariel Concha, a product of Valley Stream South, was huge for the Lions (1-3) with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Sophomore guard Jimmy Nolan led the offensive effort with 18 points, while senior forward Brian Hutchinson (Elmont) and freshman guard John Petrucelli added 12 apiece.

“Balance is something we need to be successful,” said Charles Marquardt, in his 16th season as coach. “We need to lighten the load on Brian and make it easier for him to execute.”

Hutchinson comes off a big junior campaign that saw him lead the Lions in scoring (15.2 points per game) and rebounding (8.9 rpg) on the way to earning All-ECC honors. He averaged 18 points and seven boards through the first four contests and is on schedule to play in his 100th collegiate game in January.

Concha has stepped into a bigger role after averaging fewer than 10 minutes per game a season ago. Marquardt has reason to be excited about the young backcourt tandem of Nolan and Petrucelli. Nolan, a former walk-on at George Mason, is running the point, while Petrucelli, from Hicksville, is a high-energy shooting guard. Junior Toluade Jegede of Elmont, a medical redshirt last season, is starting at small forward.

Marquardt expects the Lions to be better than last year’s 12-18 overall mark and challenge to finish higher than fourth in the ECC. “We’re not as athletic, but we’re more unified and a little deeper,” he said.

Tough start for Lady Lions
Coming off the best season in program history, the Lady Lions have struggled mightily out of the gate amid a rash of key injuries and subpar defense.

Molloy, which went 22-8 in 2009-10 and won its second ECC title and first-ever NCAA Division II tournament game, dropped its first six out of the gate before beating Queens College in the ECC opener on freshman Jessica DeNicola’s basket with two-tenths of a second remaining.

“I still think we’re going to be a quality team,” Lady Lions fifth-year coach Tim O’Hagan said. “We’re dealing with a lot of adversity, but we have to work through it. We need to get back to basics and improve every day.”

Losing two starters to serious injury, coupled with a rugged non-conference schedule, has Molloy (1-7) on the verge of matching last year’s loss total. Junior point guard Laura Rivera, a standout at Elmont High School and transfer from Manhattan, is out for the season with a knee injury that required surgery. Another guard, junior Molly Dreyer, is out indefinitely and may not return due to a torn labrum.

O’Hagan is counting on sophomores Ashley Addison and Christina Marra, as well as senior Scarlett Demchak, to lead the backcourt. Addison had a strong performance against Queens in the 73-71 conference-opening win Dec. 1, chipping in 11 points and dishing out three assists.

DeNicola and graduate student Delmara Reece are logging the majority of minutes in the frontcourt. DeNicola has made her presence felt off the bench with 21- and 16-point performances, while Reece dominated in the paint against Queens with 18 points and 17 rebounds.