Men's Basketball Nearly Completes Incredible Comeback; Edged By Ohio Dominican, 74-67
Box Score DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Dec. 30, 2011) – In its final game of 2011, the Mercy College men's basketball team nearly pulled off a 24-point comeback against Ohio Dominican University on Friday evening at the Mercy Gymnasium in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. However, the Panthers made good on their foul shots during the final minute of the contest to post the 74-67 win.
With 6:17 left in the first stanza, Ohio Dominican (3-8) had posted a 43-19 lead. Showing incredible resilience and determination, Mercy (1-10) put together an astounding 17-2 run to close out the half. ODU went into halftime with a 45-36 advantage. Mercy junior guard Colin Senior (Hackensack, N.J.) scored seven of those 17 points.
The Panthers' offense clicked right away at the start of the second half and eventually built up a 13-point lead with 13:39 remaining (55-42). Following in their first half exhilarating fashion, the Mavericks reeled off a 22-8 burst, which earned them the lead for the first time in the contest at 64-63 (3:03 remaining in regulation). Senior was the main culprit again as he posted 12 of those 22 points. In the middle of that run, junior forward Joseph Pope (Akron, Ohio) threw down a monstrous, one-handed dunk off a fast break to add to his points total and the crowd's energy.
A quick seven straight points from Ohio Dominican put a little bit of distance between the two clubs. Down by three with 54 seconds left, the Mavericks put ODU at the line hoping the Panthers would miss a few. That didn't happen and Ohio Dominican held on for the 74-67 victory.
For the Mavericks, Senior finished tied for the game-high in points (23), while Pope added 12 points and eight rebounds. Senior also had four steals.
For the Panthers, junior guard Morgan Jones (Oberlin, Ohio) also had a game-high 23 points, while senior guard Darrien Douglas (Willard, Ohio) had 14 and senior forward Aaron Gibbs (Oberlin, Ohio) scored 10. Jones added 10 boards for a double-double.
Head Coach Adam Parmenter and the Mavericks return to action in 2012 when they take on East Coast Conference-opponent New York Institute of Technology on Wednesday, January 4. The opening tipoff in Old Westbury, Long Island is set for 6:00 p.m.
