Smith and Bailey Lead Men's Basketball at ECC Foe Dowling
Box Score OAKDALE, N.Y. (Dec. 18, 2013) – Seniors LeBrandon Smith (Jamaica, N.Y. / Archbishop Molloy) and Kirk Bailey (Freeport, N.Y. / St. Mary's) led the Mavericks with a 20-point effort and double-double, respectively, as the Mercy College men's basketball team fell, 77-63, at Dowling College in an East Coast Conference matchup on Wednesday night.
Mercy drops to 0-9 overall and 0-3 in the ECC while Dowling improves to 8-1 (4-0).
Smith started the night with a three-pointer to give Mercy the early lead, which the Mavericks held through the first 10 minutes, leading by as many as five points. Down by four at 17-13, Dowling scored seven straight points to take a 20-17 lead at the 8:21 mark, but Mercy bounced back as Smith hit a jumper on the next possession and sophomore Nate Stitchell (Coventry, R.I. / Coventry) drew a foul and sank both free throws shortly after to regain the edge, 21-20 with 6:32 to play in the half.
The Golden Lions scored another seven unanswered points over the next two minutes to retake a 27-21 lead, and the Mavericks were only able to cut the deficit to five heading into halftime at 37-32.
Bailey hit a layup on the first possession of the second half to trim the margin to three and Stitchell later drained a three-pointer to cut the deficit to two at 41-39 with 16:25 remaining in the game, but that would be as close as the Mavericks got.
Dowling rattled off a 10-2 run to take the first double-digit lead of the game at 51-41 with 13:38 to play, and although Mercy chipped away throughout the half, the Mavericks were unable to pull any closer than seven points at the 7:45 mark. The Golden Lions extended the lead late and defended their home court with the victory, although Stitchell sent Mercy home on a high note with a steal and pull-up three-pointer on the final possession.
Smith led the Mavericks with 21 points in his second 20-point performance of the season while Bailey posted 10 points and rebounds to record his second double-double. Stitchell chipped in with 14 points and made four steals while Keshinro added 12 points and seven rebounds in just 21 minutes on the court due to foul trouble. Senior P.J. Walters (Hempstead, N.Y. / Wheaton College) led the squad with four assists over just 17 minutes.
Head Coach Adam Parmenter and the Mavericks will host ECC rival the University of Bridgeport (5-5, 3-1) on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 2:30 p.m. in their final game of the 2013 calendar year.
