OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (Feb. 28, 2011) –  NYIT will host Molloy College in the East Coast Conference Men’s Basketball playoffs on Wednesday, March 2 at 6 p.m. in Recreation Hall. The Bears earned the No. 4 seed after finishing the season with a 10-11 league record, while the Lions claimed the No. 5 spot with a 9-12 ECC record.

 

PAINT THE HOUSE BLUE

Fans are encouraged to wear blue to the game as we fight to protect our house. The first 100 NYIT students with school ID will receive free popcorn. Tickets are $2 for students (with ID), senior citizens and children 5 and up. Tickets are $5 for adults and children under 5 are free of charge.

 

FOLLOW ON THE WEB

Wednesday’s ECC playoff contest will feature live video and in-game statistics. Log on to nyit.edu/athletics and visit the men’s basketball schedule page for direct links to both live features.

 

LAST TIME OUT

NYIT faced a tough regular-season finale loss on the road at Molloy. The Lions topped the Bears 63-52. Senior Jerrell Walker (Stockton, Calif.) and sophomore Kayvon Roberts (Corona, N.Y.) led NYIT with 10 points each, while Roberts grabbed a team-best five rebounds. The game was tied several times in the first half, with NYIT trailing by one-point, 31-30, at halftime. The game was tied for a final time at 12:36 in the second half. The Bears fought back from a four-point deficit to knot the game, 42-42, on a free throw from Holloway. However, Daniel Concha nailed a layup to give the Lions the lead for good. Molloy pulled ahead on a 14-5 run to claim an 11-point edge, 60-49, with 3:30 left to play. The Lions led by as much as 14-points, 63-49, before a series of free throws from junior Jahari McKnight and junior Bernard Brooks (LaGrange, Ga.) brought the game to a close, 63-52.

 

BEAR TRACKS

NYIT enters the conference playoffs with a 12-14 overall record and a 10-11 ECC mark. The Bears have been paced all season long by Roberts and Walker. Roberts leads the team with 14.0 points per game and is tied for first with 5.0 rebounds per game. Walker adds 11.2 points per outing, along with 5.0 boards per game. Both players earned ECC Player of the Week honors during the season. Walker’s came after the first weekend of play, while Roberts recently earned his honor on Feb. 14 after leading NYIT to an overtime victory against Queens College.

 

SCOUTING MOLLOY

The Lions enter the playoff contest 9-17 overall record and 9-12 in the ECC. Molloy broke out of its four-game slump with a 63-52 win over NYIT on Saturday. Rookie John Petrucelli leads the squad with 15.7 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game. Brian Hutchinson adds 13.8 points per outing and Jimmy Nolan chips in with 12.4 points per game. Against NYIT on Saturday, Petrucelli led with 26 points, while Daniel Concha picked up a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

 

SERIES INFO

The Bears hold a 32-19 all-time series record over the Lions. However, Molloy won the 2010-2011 regular-season series, 2-1. This is the second year in a row that the two teams will face each other in the ECC playoffs. Last year, the Bears won 74-68 on the road in overtime. NYIT then fell to Bridgeport, 76-50, in the semifinals.

 

ECC BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Playoffs will be held at the higher seed’s campus on Wednesday, March 2, followed by the semifinals on March 5 and championship game on March 6, both hosted by the University of Bridgeport. Competition begins with No. 4 NYIT hosting No. 5 Molloy at 6 p.m., while No. 6 Dowling will face No. 3 Queens at 7 p.m. The winner of the 4/5 game will face the No. 1 seed at 5 p.m. on Saturday, while the winner of the 3/6 contest will face the No. 2 seed at 7 p.m. The championship game will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.

 

 

 

 

About NYIT

New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees in more than 90 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has more than 15,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and at its global campuses. NYIT sponsors 11 NCAA Division II programs and one Division I team.

 

Led by President Edward Guiliano, NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, 85,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.

 

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Contact       
Sabrina Polidoro

Sports Information Director
O: 516.686.7504

C: 516.351.7664
spolidor@nyit.edu