Brown Pours in Game-High-Tying 22 Points as Men's Basketball Hosts Bridgeport
Box Score DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Jan. 31, 2015) – Despite a game-high-tying 22 points from junior Jeremiah Brown (Queens Bridge, N.Y./Hostos CC), the Mercy College men's basketball team dropped an 84-65 decision to the University of Bridgeport, the first place team in the East Coast Conference, on Saturday afternoon at Mercy Gymnasium.
The Mavericks (7-11, 2-10 ECC) fail to build off their big win at Dowling on Thursday, while the Purple Knights (14-5, 10-2 ECC) bounce back from their tough loss at home against St. Thomas Aquinas in their last game on Thursday.
Brown ended the day going 8-of-11 from the field in only 21 minutes of action and dished out two assists. Juniors Gerald McClease (New Haven, Conn./Sullivan CC) and Jason Quijada (Monsey, N.Y./Rockland CC) each put up eight points with McClease adding five boards and Quijada going 4-of-8 from the field.
Bridgeport was led by Ernest Rouse who shared game high honors with Brown.
The Mavericks after their impressive road win at Dowling on Thursday came out strong, taking an early 11-7 lead at the 13:48 mark following a pair of McClease free throws. The Purple Knights would come right back on a 9-4 run to take a 16-15 advantage with 11:04 left in the opening stanza.
Mercy responded with a 7-0 run to build their lead up to six, 22-16, after a freshman Matthew Boyd (Hempstead, N.Y./Half Hallow Hills East) layup. Bridgeport got within one, 28-27, following a Willie Williams III dunk with 3:43 on the clock, but the Mavericks would push the lead up to a game-high seven points, 34-27, after a 6-0 run.
The visitors from Connecticut closed the half on a 9-0 run to take a 36-34 lead heading into the intermission after a Devon Elliott three-pointer just before time expired.
The Purple Knights used the momentum gained at the end of the first half and put forth a 17-0 run to start the second half that put them up by a comfortable 19 points, 53-34, with 14:07 remaining.
The Mavericks cut the deficit to 15 on a couple of occasions before Bridgeport upped the lead to a game-high 21 points, 63-42, with 10:14 left on the clock. Mercy got within 13 following a Brown layup at the 2:48 mark but the Purple Knights would end the game on an 8-2 run to seal the victory.
Mercy shot a strong 47.3 percent (26-of-55) from the field but was doomed by a hot-shooting Bridgeport squad that hit 60.4 percent (32-of-53) of their attempts. The guests also shot well from three, 8-of-15, and at the charity stripe, 12-of-15. The Purple Knights maintained a 30-24 edge on the glass, while the Mavericks laid claim to a 44-14 edge in bench points.
Head Coach Dr. Jody King and the Mavericks look to bounce back as they host Molloy College on Wednesday, February 4th at 7:30 p.m.
