Bady leads the Mavericks with season-high 23 points against UDC
Box Score With the loss, Mercy now falls to 6-19 overall, 3-14 in the ECC. The Fire Birds improve to 19-6 overall and 14-3 in the conference.
Bady who finished the night with 23 points, a game-high tying five assists, two rebounds, and one steal led the Mavericks. She is currently No. 2 in the ECC in assists per game, averaging 4.0. Next up for the Mavericks offense was sophomore Monet Keane-Dawes who scored ten points while grabbing six rebounds, dishing out three assists, and grabbing one steal. Sophomore Latisha Clark also contributed ten points and six rebounds, along with two blocks, one assist, and one steal.
Scoring was spread across the floor for the Firebirds, with five members scoring in double figures. Tatyana Calhoun led UDC, recording the only double-double of the night with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Iman Scott, Taj Baldwin-Kollore, and Myla Somerville all finished the night scoring 12 points. Baldwin-Kollore also contributed a game-tying five assists. Tiara Goode was the final Firebird to score in double figures with 11 points.
The first quarter started out slow for the Mavericks, as UDC opened up the game scoring seven unanswered points. With 8:13 on the board, junior Paxton Reddington dropped a three point shot off an assist from Bady to get the Mavericks offense going. It was a back and forth battle of scoring until there was 1:39 on the clock and the Mavericks were able to score six unanswered points before the quarter was over, bringing the score to 15-14 with Mercy trailing by just one point.
The second quarter was an even fight, as the score was tied on four separate occasions. The Mavericks were led by Bady, who scored ten of her 23 total points in this quarter. It was Mercy's impressive 85.7 free throw percentage that kept them in the second quarter, going 12-of-14 from the charity stripe. Both the Fire Birds and the Mavericks scored 22 points in this quarter. The Mavericks once again trailed by just one entering halftime with a score of 37-36.
Senior Deasia Goodson opened up the third quarter making a layup off of a defensive rebound. Goodson was followed by Keane-Dawes who was able to make a layup at the 7:18 mark to bring the Mavericks up 40-37. It would eventually be the 14-0 run by UDC that would cost Mercy the game. The third quarter wrapped up with the Mavericks trailing 53-45.
The fourth quarter would be another stand out quarter for Bady, who scored another ten points for the Mavericks. Unfortunately, it would not be enough for the comeback, as Mercy fell to the Fire Birds with a final score of 74-65.
The Mavericks out shot UDC in all categories, ending the night with an impressive 86.7 percent from the charity stripe, 44.4 percent from downtown, and a 39.3 field goal percentage. UDC shot 63.6 percent from the free throw line, 20.8 percent from downtown, and 31.2 percent shooting.
Head Coach Rashidi Aikens and the Mavericks will look to get back in the win column as they travel to Bridgeport for an ECC matchup on Monday, Feb. 22 at 5:00 p.m
