Second Half Run Propels Men's Basketball to Late Lead at Roberts Wesleyan
Box Score ROCHESTER, N.Y. (Jan. 24, 2014) – A 20-4 run in the second half propelled the Mercy College basketball team to a late lead as the Mavericks held the host Roberts Wesleyan College Redhawks to a season-low 56 points on Friday night.
The Redhawks would still come away with the narrow 56-52 East Coast Conference victory to climb above .500 at 8-7 overall and 4-5 in the ECC, while the Mavericks fall to 1-15 (1-9).
The Redhawks built up a 7-2 lead over the first four minutes as the Mavericks hit just one of their first eight shots and extended the lead to double digits by the 12:38 mark. After going down by as many as 12 points, Mercy recovered to score seven straight points and pull back within five at 18-13 with 6:01 left in the half.
Roberts Wesleyan retained its slim edge through to a nine-point lead at halftime and regained the double-digit margin after three minutes, reaching a 13-point lead at 41-28 with 14:16 on the clock.
The Mavericks finally started clicking at that point, however, and dominated in a 16-2 run over the next 5:30 to surge to the lead at 44-43 with 8:45 left in the game thanks to a trey from juior Terrance Murchie (Franklin Square, N.Y. / H. Frank Carey). A Redhawks layup saw RWC briefly regain the lead, but a pair of free throws by sophomore Daniel Pierrot (New York, N.Y. / Adelphi Univ.) turned the tide back in the Mavericks' favor and a long jumper from junior Jordan Lessane (Mount Vernon, N.Y. / Mount Vernon) made it a three-point game with just under six minutes remaining.
A minute later the Redhawks tied things up at 48-48, but senior P.J. Walters (Hempstead, N.Y. / Wheaton College) sent the Mavericks back in front with a layup with 3:22 remaining.
Roberts Wesleyan evened the game at 50-50 on a pair of free throws and took the lead on a fast break dunk following a steal with 2:43 left to play. Lessane grabbed a rebound and went coast-to-coast to level the score at 52-52 with 1:27 remaining, but the Redhawks hit a jumper on the next possession and held on for the narrow 56-52 victory.
Head Coach Adam Parmenter and the Mavericks will remain upstate for an ECC bout at Daemen College (10-6, 7-3) on Sunday, Jan. 26.
