The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team rebounded from a 13-point deficit to defeat Molloy College, 76-74, as Chaz Watler's foul shots with 1.8 seconds left were the difference as the Spartans improved to 6-3 overall and 2-1 in the East Coast Conference, while Molloy fell to 2-6, 1-1.
Molloy led for much of the contest and still was up by a dozen midway through the second half before the Spartans rallied. With the score tied at 74-74, STAC had one final possession and put the ball in Watler's hands. His drive to the hoop was denied, but he was fouled in the act and his two shots spelled the difference.
Several lead changes punctuated the early minutes of the game before Charlie Marquardt hit a pair of three-pointers to spur Molloy to an 11-2 run, opening up a 16-10 lead after seven minutes of play. Ross Greenfield's offense was the catalyst to the Spartans charging back to tie the score at 26-26 on a Watler hoop, but Jalen Morris capped off an 8-1 Lions burst with the final four points of the half, sending his team to the locker room with a 38-33 lead.
Brandon Williams hit a trey and a deuce in the opening minute of the second, and suddenly the visitors were riding a 43-33 advantage. Another Morris hoop maxed the gap at 48-35 with 16 minutes on the clock. Adam Koziol became the next unsung Spartans hero to step up, draining three treys, but Morris again had the answer to give the visitors a 58-46 cushion midway through the half.
Watler, who had totaled just two points until that juncture, got a wake-up call in a big way, starting the rally with a three at the 10:01 mark. Dan Wilson followed with a pair of foul shots, and Watler stroked another trey, and suddenly the gap was 58-54.
After a Maurice Gatson foul shot upped the Molloy lead to five, Watler struck again. His three-point play was followed quickly by a technical foul on Lions' point guard Williams, who also fouled out on the play with 6:47 to go. Two more Watler free throws tied the game at 59-59, setting the stage for a string of lead changes over the frantic final minutes.
A Morris jumper put the Lions up, 68-67, with 2:53 to play, but Jonathan Lawton calmly drilled a three just 21 seconds later to put the hosts up a pair. A Koziol layup would make the gap 74-70 with 1:22 left, but Molloy was far from down as Gatson answered with a quick bucket.
Morris came up with a steal with 30 seconds left and his layup with 14 on the clock drew the game even at 74-74. With one final possession in regulation, Watler was left alone on an isolation and beat Curtis Jenkins off the dribble, forcing the foul with just 1.8 left. Watler calmly hit both shots, sending the Aquinas Hall crowd home with a victory.
Greenfield provided all 11 of his points in the first half, and Koziol, Wilson, and Shaq McFarlan also added 11 each to pace the balanced rally. Morris was a force for Molloy with a game-high 28 points in the setback, with Marquardt adding 16. The Spartans owned a dominant 37-23 rebounding edge but the key stat was perimeter shooting, with STAC hitting on 62% (8-for-13) from beyond the arc.
The Spartans return to action on Saturday, December 19, hosting LIU Post in a 3:00 pm tipoff at Aquinas Hall. They will then be on holiday break until resuming at Bloomfield on New Year's Eve, December 31st, in a 1:00 pm start.
- Steve Balsan, St. Thomas Aquinas Sports Information
- Photo by Dorice Arden