Five Mavericks Score in Double Figures as Men's Basketball Earns First Win Over NE-10 Foe Since 2007 With 89-71 Victory Over St. Michael's
Box Score SPARKILL, N.Y. (Nov. 12, 2016) – Powered by five Mavericks scoring in double figures, highlighted by a game-high 22 points from senior Raphael Jennings (Washington, D.C./ASA College), the Mercy College men's basketball team earned an 89-71 victory over Northeast-10 Conference opponent Saint Michael's College on Saturday night at Aquinas Hall Gymnasium.
The Mavericks (1-1) defeat their first NE-10 school under Head Coach Dr. Jody King and pick up the program's first win over an NE-10 school since beating Saint Anselm on December 28, 2007. Mercy also picks up their first-ever win against the Purple Knights (0-2) in three all-time meetings.
Jennings shot 5-for-9 from the field and 10-for-11 from the charity stripe and added a game-high seven assists and four steals. Graduate student Ryan Hickey (Smithtown, N.Y./Dowling College) contributed 17 points on 6-for-12 shooting and senior Isaiah Cosbert (Queens, N.Y./Sullivan CC) poured in 14 points off the bench. Senior William Robinson (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Nyack College) went 6-for-10 from the field for 12 points and senior K.J. Rose (Binghamton, N.Y./Fairfield University) netted ten points, five assists and four rebounds.
The Purple Knights were led by Matt Bonds who had a team-high 20 points and nine rebounds. Levi Holmes III picked up 12 points and Colin Richey scored 11 points.
The Mavericks came in looking for their first win of the season and got off to a strong start as they scored the first seven points of the game. Mercy built the lead to ten, 13-3, following a pair of Jennings free throws and looked to be well on their way. The Purple Knights had an answer as they responded with a 12-0 run to take a 15-13 lead with 12:04 left in the first half.
Mercy retook the lead at 21-18 with 10:34 left in the frame after a Marko Kozul (Astoria, N.Y./Felician University) jumper. The Mavericks would hold a 24-23 lead at the 9:13 mark after another Jennings basket before Saint Michael's ensued with a 6-0 run to take a 29-24 lead, forcing a Mercy timeout. Out of the timeout, the Purple Knights increased their lead to a game-high 11 points, 37-26, with 4:29 left in the half. The Mavericks would close the half on a 14-5 run to get within two, 42-40, at halftime. Mercy shot 42.4 percent (14-for-33) in the first half, while Saint Michael's shot a blistering 53.8 percent (14-for-26).
The second half saw the Mavericks carry over their momentum from the end of the first half as Rose scored back-to-back baskets to give Mercy a 44-42 lead with 18:37 remaining. The score was later tied at 46-46, but the Mavericks took back the lead for good with a 31-7 run over nine minutes that put Mercy up 77-53 with 8:02 left in the second half after a Cosbert jumper.
Mercy led by double digits the rest of the way as the Purple Knights could not get closer than 16 points the rest of the way. Hickey led the way with 11 points in the second half, while Cosbert and Jennings added ten and nine points, respectively. The Mavericks shot 59.4 percent (19-for-32) in the second half, while holding the Purple Knights to 45.8 percent (11-for-24) shooting.
Mercy concluded the night shooting 50.8 percent (33-for-65), while the Purple Knights shot 50.0 percent (25-for-50). Saint Michael's held a 35-25 edge on the boards, but the Mavericks held a 38-14 advantage in points off turnovers as the Mavericks forced 26 Purple Knights turnovers. Mercy also held a 40-30 edge in points in the paint and a 17-8 edge in fastbreak points.
Head Coach Dr. Jody King and the Mavericks resume action on Wednesday, November 16th when they play at Nyack College at 7:30 p.m.
