Three Score in Double Figures as Men's Basketball Snaps Skid With 72-71 Victory at Dowling
Box Score OAKDALE, N.Y. (Jan. 29, 2015) – Powered by a key last second defensive stand and three scoring in double figures, the Mercy College men's basketball team snapped a five-game losing streak with a 72-71 road win over perennial ECC power Dowling College on Thursday night, despite playing without two key contributors.
The Mavericks (7-10, 2-9 ECC) have now matched their win total from the previous two years combined, while the Golden Lions (8-10, 6-5 ECC) see their two-game winning streak come to an end. The victory over Dowling is the program's first since a 93-83 win on February 2, 2011 in Oakdale and with the triumph Mercy snaps a 17-game conference road losing streak dating back to February 13, 2013 when they defeated St. Thomas Aquinas.
Three shared high scoring honors for the Mavericks with juniors Gerald McClease (New Haven, Conn./Sullivan CC), Lazaro Martinez (Harlem, N.Y./Mohawk Valley CC) and Jason Quijada (Monsey, N.Y./Rockland CC) all pouring in 16 points. McClease ended up with his fifth double-double of the season grabbing a game-high-tying 12 boards while going 8-of-11 from the stripe. Martinez went 7-of-14 from the field and corralled six boards. Quijada shot 8-of-16 and secured five boards as Mercy outrebounded Dowling 46-40.
Dowling, who played without the conference's second leading scorer Darien Davis, was led by Tristan Brown who scored a game-high 18 points.
Despite playing without junior Jeremiah Brown (Queens Bridge, N.Y./Hostos CC) and graduate student Terrance Murchie (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey), the Mavericks put forth another strong performance under first year Head Coach Dr. Jody King and were rewarded with their first road win since the season opener at Nyack on November 14th.
After starting out of the gates slow in their previous few contests, Mercy reversed course and jumped out to an early 11-6 lead with 14:38 on the clock forcing a Dowling timeout. The Golden Lions responded and took a 21-20 advantage at the 8:28 mark before the Mavericks came back on a 9-2 run to take their largest lead of the half, 29-23, with 3:10 showing on the clock.
Mercy maintained their lead for the remainder of the half and headed into the locker rooms up 34-29 after a Matthew Boyd (Hempstead, N.Y./Half Hallow Hills East) jumper just before time expired.
The second stanza saw the Mavericks start the period on a 21-12 run that increased their lead to a game-high 14 points, 55-41, with 13:25 left on the clock.
The game looked to be safe and secure for Mercy but the home team had other plans as they ensued with a 16-7 run to cut the deficit to five, 62-57, with 5:53 remaining in regulation.
The Mavericks built the lead back up to seven, 68-61, following a pair of McClease free throws at the 2:56 mark but a couple of Mercy turnovers and fouls allowed Dowling to cut the lead to three, 68-65, with 2:27 left.
A Ryan Hickey layup cut the lead to one, 68-67, with 1:41 on the clock and it seemed all the momentum was shifting towards the home team. Martinez on the ensuing possession would step up and nail a critical jumper that put the Mavericks up 70-67 at the 1:17 mark.
A pair of free throws gave Mercy a seemingly insurmountable 72-67 advantage with 29 seconds remaining, but once again the Golden Lions would make things interesting. Dowling would cut the deficit to a single possession, 72-69, and send the Mavericks to the line where they missed both giving Dowling a shot to tie the game.
The Golden Lions would return the favor as they missed their ensuing two free throws but Donte Adams was able to tip home the second miss to make it 72-71 in favor of Mercy with 21 seconds left. Following a Dowling timeout, the Mavericks got the ball in bounds and ran nearly 14 seconds off the clock before a turnover sent it back over to the Golden Lions with a chance to win.
Mercy held on as a last second jumper by Donte Adams wouldn't fall giving the Mavericks the victory.
The Mavericks outshot the Golden Lions 43.5 percent to 39.1 percent and were aided by a bench that outscored Dowling's 27-13. Neither team shot the ball well from three as Mercy made the lone trifecta in the game going 1-of-9 from beyond the arc compared to 0-of-13 for the home team.
Head Coach Dr. Jody King and the Mavericks look to build off this impressive win as they host University of Bridgeport on Saturday, January 31st at 2:30 p.m.
