Keane-Dawes Has Career Afternoon as Women's Basketball Faces Defending ECC Champion, UDC
Box Score DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Jan. 24, 2015)- Freshman Monet Keane-Dawes (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Midwood) finished with a career-high 23 points and a career-high 15 rebounds as the Mercy College women's basketball team fell to the Firebirds of the University of the District of Columbia, 75-63 on Saturday afternoon.
The Firebirds improve to 15-3 overall and 8-2 in the East Coast Conference, while the Mavericks fall to 7-10 overall and 1-9 in the ECC.
Mercy played with a chip on their shoulder from the opening tap, as they forced UDC to commit three early turnovers', helping the Mavericks jump out to an early 7-1 lead. The Firebirds responded with an 8-0 run over the next three minutes to take a three point lead off a steal and breakaway lay-up by Taj Baldwin-Kollore.
UDC continued to put the ball on the deck and drive the line, as they scored 16 points in the paint, which helped them take their largest lead of the game at 22-15 with 5:37 remaining. The Mavericks chipped away at the UDC lead and eventually tied the game up twice with under a minute to play. Keane-Dawes nailed a jumper off an assist by junior Deasia Goodson (Freeport, N.Y./ Freeport) to knot the game up at 26-26. Goodson returned the favor to Keane-Dawes, as she assisted on the game tying basket with 22 seconds left.
The game looked like it would remain tied at halftime, but Shantrel Oliver converted a four point play to give UDC the advantage at the intermission.
Keane-Dawes paced the Mavericks with six points and six rebounds, while Oliver led the way for the Firebirds with eight points.
In the second half, the Firebirds turned up the intensity, opening the half on a 13-3 run to take a 45-32 lead with 13:47 remaining.
The Mavericks kept fighting as Keane-Dawes knocked down three triples in the second stanza to pull Mercy to as close as seven with just over nine minute to play. The Firebirds held Mercy at bay with strong play from Denikka Brent, Tatyana Calhoun and Baldwin-Kollore, who all scored 11 points apiece in the latter 20.
Keane-Dawes finished with 17 points on 5-for-8 shooting, and grabbed nine rebounds, including three offensive caroms in the second half
Senior Tanayzha Augustine (Poughkeepsie, N.Y. /Poughkeepsie) was the only other Mavericks in double-double figures, finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks.
Head Coach Rashidi Aikens and the Mavericks return to action on Wednesday, Oct. 28, as they will travel to Oakdale, N.Y. to face the Golden Lions of Dowling College at 5:00 p.m.
