Men's Basketball Earns First Victory of Season Over Chestnut Hill, 79-74
Box Score PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Dec. 15, 2012) - On Saturday afternoon, the Mercy College men's basketball team defeated Chestnut Hill College, 79-74, for its first win of the 2012-13 campaign. With the victory, the Mavericks improved to 1-8 overall, while the Griffins fell to 4-6 on the year.
The Mavericks held a lead for the majority of the first half, before the Griffins were able to tie it at 21-21 with 7:56 remaining. Senior forward Joseph Pope (Akron, Ohio) scored the next six points for Mercy, which was followed by a slew of Maverick lay-ups, as well as four successfully-converted free throws. However, the Griffins were able to keep up with the Mavericks' scoring frenzy and tied the game at 37-37 with two seconds left before the intermission.
In an opposite turn of events, Chestnut Hill controlled much of the second stanza, holding a 71-69 lead as late as 3:21 left in regulation. The Mavericks, however, proved to be resilient and throughout the second period continued to chip away at the Griffins' lead and eventually tied it up.
With 2:43 left, junior forward Kirk Bailey (Freeport, N.Y.) drove in a lay-up to knot the score at 71-all. About one minute later, junior guard Chaz Morrish (Douglaston, N.Y.) nailed a huge three-pointer to give the guests the lead.
After a couple of unsuccessful shots by the Griffins and a turnover by Chestnut Hill, Mercy added to its lead when junior Remi Mignott (Brooklyn, N.Y.) converted on one of his two charity stripe attempts. Another turnover from the Griffins, coupled with perfection down the stretch for the Mavericks at the free throw line, secured Mercy's first triumph of the season.
For Mercy, Pope once again led his team with 24 points, which was also a game-high. He also pulled down eight rebounds. Bailey had the double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while graduate student Khiry Gordon (Philadelphia, Pa.) grabbed 12 boards and scored six points. Morrish contributed 14 off the bench.
For Chestnut Hill, Mark DiRugeris Jr. scored 23 points, while Francis Ashe had 15. Dexter Harris and Jakeem Bogans netted 13 and 10, respectively, off the bench.
Head Coach Adam Parmenter and the Mavericks return to action following the Christmas holiday when they travel to Syracuse, N.Y. to take on Le Moyne College on Sunday, December 30. The opening tipoff will be at 3:00 p.m.
