Lyles Scores Game-High 14 Points as Men's Basketball Faces Roberts Wesleyan
Box Score ROCHESTER, N.Y. (Jan. 8, 2016) – Despite a game-high 14 points from senior Tyseem Lyles (Brooklyn, N.Y./Tompkins Cortland CC), the Mercy College men's basketball team suffered a 72-65 setback to Roberts Wesleyan College in an East Coast Conference (ECC) matchup on Friday night at the Voller Athletic Center.
The Mavericks (4-5, 2-3 ECC) see their season-high three-game winning streak come to an end, while the Redhawks (4-6, 1-3 ECC) snap a three-game losing streak and pick up their first league win of the year.
Lyles fell one rebound shy of a double-double and went 7-of-12 from the field, while adding three assists and two steals. Senior Shaquille Stokes (Harlem, N.Y./College of Saint Rose) finished with 13 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the charity stripe and junior William Robinson (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Nyack College) rounded out three Mavericks scoring in double figures with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Roberts Wesleyan was led by Tyrel Dixon who had a team-high 13 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
The Mavericks came into the contest looking to extend their winning streak to four games coming off a last-second win over Georgian Court on Monday. Mercy got off to a quick 4-0 lead less than a minute in off a pair of Lyles baskets and looked to be carrying over the momentum gained from the win on Monday.
A Jason Quijada (Monsey, N.Y./Rockland CC) layup at the 14:10 mark gave the Mavericks a 12-8 lead, but the hosts would come back with an 11-2 run over the next four minutes to build a 19-14 advantage with 10 minutes left before halftime. However, Mercy struck right back with a 12-2 run to take their largest lead of the game, 26-21, with 5:38 left in the first half.
Roberts Wesleyan concluded the opening half on a 10-4 run, capped off by a Jordan McBride triple with five seconds left, to take a 31-30 lead at the intermission.
The Mavericks came out of the locker rooms looking to regain their form and opened up the period on a 9-4 run to take a 39-35 lead at the 16:21 mark following a trifecta from Isaiah Cosbert (Queens, N.Y./Sullivan CC) and another Lyles layup. The lead would not last long for Mercy as the Redhawks immediately came back with nine unanswered to take back the lead at 44-39 and would not trail again.
The home team built the lead to a game-high seven points on three occasions with the last coming at the 4:26 mark when they led 59-52. However, the Mavericks would not go down quietly as has been the case all season under head coach Dr. Jody King. Mercy battled their way back and cut the deficit to two, 60-58, with 2:21 left after a 6-1 run.
After a pair of made free throws from Zack Panebianco, Stokes nailed a layup to make it 62-60 in favor of the Redhawks with 2:13 left. That would be the closest Mercy could get as Roberts Wesleyan ensued with a 4-0 spurt that put them up 66-60 with 31 seconds left.
A three-point play by Robinson with 17 seconds left cut the Redhawks lead to 66-63, but the hosts would go 6-of-6 from the charity stripe in the final 14 seconds to seal the win.
The Mavericks shot 39.1 percent (25-of-64) from the floor, while the Redhawks made 40.4 percent (23-of-57) of their attempts. Mercy went only 1-of-11 (9.1 percent) from downtown, while Roberts Wesleyan went 8-of-22 (36.4 percent) from distance. Mercy held a 46-35 edge on the glass and maintained a 40-20 advantage in points in the paint.
Head Coach Dr. Jody King and the Mavericks will look to bounce back as they head to Daemen College tomorrow for a 4 p.m. tip.
