McClease Records Double-Double as Men's Basketball Hosts Dowling in ECC Tilt
Box Score DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Dec. 10, 2014) – Despite the first double-double of the season by junior Gerald McClease (New Haven, Conn./Sullivan CC) and a season-high 19 points from junior Lazaro Martinez (Harlem, N.Y./Mohawk Valley CC), the Mercy College men's basketball team suffered a 92-70 setback to Dowling College on Wednesday night at Mercy Gymnasium in their East Coast Conference home opener.
The Mavericks (3-2, 0-2 ECC) drop their second in a row, while the Golden Lions (3-5, 2-0 ECC) remain undefeated in league play.
The visitors from Long Island got off to a strong start, taking a 14-2 lead just over four minutes into the contest. Dowling would increase the lead to 15, 34-19, with just under seven minutes left in the first half before Mercy went on a 19-7 run to cut the Golden Lions lead to three, 41-38, with 1:30 left to play following a pair of free throws from Martinez.
Led by the ECC's leading scorer Darien Davis, Dowling would close the half on a 5-0 run to take a 46-38 lead into the locker rooms.
The Golden Lions came out of the gates with their shooting game on point, shooting 56.2 percent in the opening frame and were led by 23 points from Davis in the period. The Mavericks shot 36.1 percent in the stanza and were led by Martinez and junior Tyseem Lyles (Brooklyn, N.Y./Tompkins Cortland CC) who each put up 11 points.
Mercy came out of the break with a quick start as McClease put in a layup six seconds into the half to cut the deficit to six, 46-40, and get the crowd back into the game.
The Mavericks would stay within striking distance but the Golden Lions put together another strong shooting half as they shot 60.7 percent in the second half and ended the night at an impressive 58.3 percent.
After Dowling had built the lead up to 13, 66-53, with 14:28 left to play, Mercy put together another run and got it down to six, 70-64, at the 9:54 mark on a trifecta by McClease. However, that would be the closest they would get for the remainder of the game as the Golden Lions ended the contest on a 22-6 run to seal the win.
The Mavericks weren't able to keep pace with a hot-shooting Dowling team, shooting only 36.0 percent from the floor and 52.6 percent from the line. The visitors shot an efficient 10-of-21 (47.6 percent) from downtown and finished with 22 assists on 35 made field goals.
McClease finished with a team-high 20 points and 12 rebounds to secure his first double-double as a Maverick and Martinez ended the night with his season high in points on 7-of-12 shooting along with five rebounds. Lyles concluded the evening with 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals to round out three Mavericks scoring in double figures.
Dowling was led by Davis who poured in a game-high 31 points on 12-of-22 shooting. Evan Maxwell added a double-double with 22 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Head Coach Dr. Jody King and the Mavericks return to action this Saturday, December 13th as they travel to the University of Bridgeport for a 3 p.m. ECC tilt.
