DAVIE, Fla. – The Barry University men’s basketball team (6-7) closed out 2007 with an impressive 79-61 win over the Molloy Lions on Saturday night at the University Center in the final game of the NSU Holiday Classic.
Behind a superb defensive effort, Barry scored 19 points off Molloy turnovers in the game, including 12 in the first half, and stripped away 13 steals to close out the year with the win. Gabe Lazo came off the bench and scored eight of his game-high 15 points in the second half to lead the Bucs, while Willie Whitfield added 14. Chad Bishop reeled in a team-high nine rebounds.
The Bucs’ 79 points is the second-highest single-game total this season and 16.2 points more than their 62.8 points per game average heading into Saturday’s game. Barry shot 44 percent (26-of-59) from the floor for the game including 45 percent from three point range in the second half.
In the first period, Whitfield scored eight of the Bucs first 11 points to give Barry an 11-7 lead just over four minutes into the game. Barry went on to lead by as much as 13 points (27-14) with 9:33 remaining in the half before taking a 40-32 lead at the break.
Molloy came to within six points (47-41) in the second half, but that was as close as the Tigers came before the Bucs hit three consecutive baskets to extend their lead to 14. Barry closed out the second period with an 11-5 run for the win.
The Lions had four players to hit double figure scoring led by Carl Palmer who scored 13 points off the bench. Glenn Martin followed with 11, while Vincent Falzone and Girard Fitts added 10 points each. Falzone recorded a game-high 14 rebounds.
The Buccaneers will be back in action after the New Year in Sunshine State Conference action against Eckerd in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Saturday, Jan. 5 at 4 pm.
Newspaper Box Score
Molloy vs Barry
12/29/07 6:00 pm at Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (University Center)
BARRY 79, MOLLOY 61
MOLLOY (6-6)
Palmer, Carl 5-11 0-0 13; Martin, Glenn 5-10 1-3 11; Falzone, Vincent 2-12
6-7 10; Fitts, Girard 4-9 0-0 10; Cabrera, Kris 3-6 0-0 6; Hutchinson, Brian
2-4 2-2 6; Pierre, Mark 1-2 1-3 3; Johnson, Michael 0-3 2-3 2; Jegede,
Tolulade 0-1 0-0 0; Nepomnyashchy, Gleb 0-1 0-0 0; McKenzie, Karim 0-0 0-0
0; Roberts, Vincent 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-59 12-18 61.
BARRY (6-7)
LAZO, Gabe 5-9 2-2 15; WHITFIELD, Willie 6-7 2-5 14; MADYUN, Jamaal 2-4 2-2
8; BISHOP, Chad 4-13 0-0 8; CHIVERTON, Bryan 1-2 6-7 8; PARAFINCZUK, John
3-9 0-0 8; WILLIS, Jeff 3-5 1-2 7; TUCKER, Karega 1-8 3-6 5; UZ, Chris 1-1
1-2 4; MORRIS, Jeran 0-1 2-2 2; ASTIGARRAGA, Bryan 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-59
19-28 79.
Molloy........................ 32 29 - 61
Barry......................... 40 39 - 79
3-point goals--Molloy 5-20 (Palmer, Carl 3-8; Fitts, Girard 2-6; Falzone,
Vincent 0-2; Cabrera, Kris 0-2; Nepomnyashchy, Gleb 0-1; Martin, Glenn 0-1),
Barry 8-24 (LAZO, Gabe 3-5; MADYUN, Jamaal 2-4; PARAFINCZUK, John 2-6; UZ,
Chris 1-1; TUCKER, Karega 0-3; BISHOP, Chad 0-5). Fouled out--Molloy-None,
Barry-WHITFIELD, Willie. Rebounds--Molloy 42 (Falzone, Vincent 14), Barry 38
(BISHOP, Chad 9). Assists--Molloy 9 (Falzone, Vincent 3; Fitts, Girard 3),
Barry 16 (TUCKER, Karega 5). Total fouls--Molloy 24, Barry 16. Technical
fouls--Molloy-None, Barry-None. A-120
NSU Holiday Classic Game Three