Three-Point Shooting Leads Men's Basketball to First Win Over LIU Post Since 2006
Box Score DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Jan. 7, 2015) – Powered by five players in double figures and 19 three-pointers, the Mercy College men's basketball team defeated East Coast Conference foe LIU Post, 89-84, for the first time since 2006 on Wednesday night at Mercy Gymnasium.
The Mavericks (6-4, 1-3 ECC) earn their first conference win of the season and improve to 7-64 all-time against the Pioneers, snapping an 18-game losing streak against the visitors, while LIU Post (5-7, 0-4 ECC) remains winless in league play.
"To beat a perennial ECC power such as LIU Post is tremendous for the growth of our program. I am very proud of our student-athletes," commented Head Coach Dr. Jody King after the win.
Junior Jeremiah Brown (Queens Bridge, N.Y./Hostos CC) led the way for Mercy with a team-high 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc and added six rebounds. Fellow juniors Jason Quijada (Monsey, N.Y./Rockland CC) and Gerald McClease (New Haven, Conn./Sullivan CC) each chipped in 13 points with Quijada dishing out a game-high six assists. Junior Lazaro Martinez (Harlem, N.Y./Mohawk Valley CC) and sophomore Najee Senior (Bronx, N.Y./Western Okla. State College) each reached double figures, adding 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Both teams came into the contest searching for their elusive first conference win which was unfamiliar territory for the Pioneers who have reached multiple NCAA Tournaments over the years. LIU Post jumped out to an early 10-0 lead at the 17:37 mark and it looked like the Pioneers reign of dominance over the Mavericks was going to continue for another day.
However, the new-look Mercy squad under first year head coach Dr. Jody King wasn't going to back down and responded with a 22-9 run over the next five minutes capped off by trifectas by Brown and junior Tyshon Carter (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Monroe College) to take a 22-19 lead with 12:44 left in the opening half. The Mavericks would build the lead up to 10, 46-36, following a pair of Senior free throws with just over a minute left to play before intermission and entered the break with a 46-39 lead.
The three-point ball helped the Mavericks jump out to the halftime lead as they went 11-for-20 from beyond the arc and held a 16-12 edge on the glass over the Pioneers.
LIU Post would come out of the break on fire, scoring the first five points of the second half and would go on a 17-5 run to start the half to take a 56-51 lead with 13:56 left to play. In past years that may have signified the end of Mercy's chances of winning but the 2014-15 season has been unique and would continue to be so as the Mavericks fought back and responded with a 14-0 run over the next four minutes to take back the lead and go up 65-56 with 9:10 remaining.
Brown nailed another triple with 7:48 left to put Mercy up 71-60, but the Pioneers had one last run, this time a 17-9 spurt that gave them an 80-77 advantage with 1:47 left in regulation and it looked like the Mavericks luck may run out.
As has been the case all season Mercy has responded to adversity and did so once again as multiple players would foul out and Carter would come right back with a triple to tie the score up at 80-80. A Pioneer free throw put them up 81-80 with just over a minute left but Senior on the following possession would hit his biggest shot as a Maverick, a triple, that gave Mercy back the lead at 83-81 with 55 seconds left on the clock.
Following a LIU Post timeout, Carter forced a turnover and took it the other way for a layup to put the lead back up to four, 85-81, with 39 seconds left. The Mavericks would hang on due to clutch free throw shooting from Martinez and McClease to seal the victory.
Mercy continued its strong shooting from beyond the arc in the second half, going 8-for-11 in the frame to finish the night an impressive 19-for-31 (61.3 percent) from downtown. The Mavericks were able to outshoot the Pioneers 47.4 percent to 47.2 percent and were able to hang on despite LIU Post going 26-for-37 from the charity stripe and maintaining a 30-4 edge in points in the paint.
Head Coach Dr. Jody King and the Mavericks look to build off the big win as they travel to NYIT for an ECC matchup on Saturday, January 10th at 3 p.m.
