Five Starters Score in Double Digits as Men's Basketball Hosts ECC Rival STAC
Box Score DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Nov. 30, 2013) – All five starters scored in double digits as the Mercy College men's basketball team hosted East Coast Conference rival St. Thomas Aquinas College in the Mavericks' conference opener on Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans rallied from a 16-point deficit to escape with the 77-71 victory, improving to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the ECC while Mercy drops to 0-5 (0-1).
STAC took an early lead, going up by as much as seven at 15-8 after the first five minutes. A 9-2 run allowed Mercy to tie things up at 17 and, after the rivals traded the lead twice each, the Mavericks rattled off 11 unanswered points to surge to a 10-point lead at 37-27 with just two minutes remaining in the first half and held the lead through to 41-31 at the break. The Mavericks hit a whopping 57 percent of their shots from the field (50 percent beyond the arc) over the first half while limiting the Spartans to just 36 percent from the field and 13 percent on three-pointers.
Mercy rode the momentum into the second half, extending the lead to 16 over the opening four minutes as senior LeBrandon Smith (Jamaica, N.Y. / Archbishop Molloy) chipped in six points.
STAC began to claw back into the game, however, and finally got hot when it mattered most. The Spartans scored 15 straight points over six minutes to take a six-point lead at 72-66 with just 37 seconds left to play.
Sophomore Nate Stitchell (Coventry, R.I. / Coventry) just missed notching his first career double-double with a team-high 15 points and career-high nine assists while adding three steals. Seniors Kirk Bailey (Freeport, N.Y. / St. Mary's) and Olajide Keshinro (Brooklyn, N.Y. / SUNY Cobleskill) just missed double-doubles as well, as each finished with 10 points and nine rebounds, with Keshinro also posting a career-high seven blocks. Smith and senior Chaz Morrish (Douglaston, N.Y. / St. Mary's) each netted 11 points to round out the double-digit scorers.
Head Coach Adam Parmenter and the Mavericks will welcome Nyack College (2-4) to Dobbs Ferry on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m.
