OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (Mar. 2, 2011) – NYIT men’s basketball fought hard to earn a trip to the East Coast Conference semifinals with a 70-66 victory over Molloy College Wednesday night at Recreation Hall.

 

The fourth-seeded Bears (13-14, 10-11 ECC) will face the top-seed Purple Knights of Bridgeport on Saturday, March 5 at 5 p.m. in Bridgeport, Conn.

 

Senior Eric Rodriguez (Miami, Fla.) led NYIT’s offense with 15 points, while dishing out six assists and grabbing a game-high three steals. Fellow classmate Daniel Berg (Osteras, Norway) added 14 points and sophomore Dominic Scurry (Ozone Park, N.Y.) chipped in with 12 points. Senior Jerrell Walker (Stockton, Calif.) grabbed a game-best eight rebounds.

 

For the Lions (9-18, 9-12 ECC), four players scored in double-figures with Jimmy Nolan tallying a game-high 19 points and seven assists. Tolulade Jegede and John Petrucelli added 15 and 14 points, respectively; while Dariel Concha posted 13 points. 

 

The first half was highly contested as the score was knotted three times and lead changed on five occasions. After a Rodriguez three-pointer put the Bears up 17-15 at 12:55, NYIT went on an 18-9 to claim its largest lead of the half, 32-24, with 5:28 remaining. However, Molloy rallied back to knot the score 32-32 on a jumper by Nolan with 1:12 on the clock. A three-pointer from senior Kris Knez (Astoria, N.Y.) put the Bears back on top but Jegede responded with a jumper with 23 second to go to make the half-time score 35-34.

 

The second half saw the Lions plow ahead to a 50-44 lead with 12:34 left to play. Molloy controlled the scoreboard for most of the second half and earned a seven-point lead, 61-54, at 5:47. However, the Bears were not about to give up their fight. Fueled on free throws from Berg and a back-to-back layups by Scurry, NYIT evened the game 64-64 with 2:38 remaining. Turnovers held both teams scoreless for a minute and half, but it was Molloy who broke the silence with a layup by Jegede, 64-66, at 1:05.

 

In the final minute, Rodriguez was sent to the line and made both his shots to knot the game once again, 66-66. A layup from Scurry put the Bears in control for the first time since the first minute of the second half, 68-66. Then a Lions’ turnover and foul by Nolan sent Rodriguez back to the line for the final two baskets, 70-66.

 

 

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