Robinson Posts Team-High 14 Points as Men's Basketball Plays at Bridgeport
Box Score BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Feb. 22, 2016) – Junior William Robinson (Mount Vernon, N.Y/Nyack College) scored a team-high 14 points as the Mercy College men's basketball team suffered a, 76-68, defeat to the University of Bridgeport in an ECC matchup on Monday night at Hubbell Gym.
The Mavericks (12-12, 9-9 ECC) remain one game ahead of Dowling for the sixth and final ECC Tournament. Mercy will take on the Golden Lions on Wednesday in Oakdale at 7 p.m. The Purple Knights (14-12, 11-7 ECC) have now won two games in a row and move two games ahead of the Mavericks in the ECC standings.
Robinson went 6-of-9 from the floor and added seven rebounds, while senior Tyseem Lyles (Brooklyn, N.Y./Tompkins Cortland CC) poured in 13 points and had a team-high eight rebounds and four assists. Senior Shaquille Stokes (Harlem, N.Y./College of Saint Rose) chipped in nine points off the bench for the Mavericks.
Bridgeport was paced by Muhammed Ahmed who scored a game-high 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
Mercy started the contest with a 6-4 lead at the 17:26 mark following a Raphael Jennings (Washington, D.C./ASA College) and looked to give the Purple Knights all they could handle in a pivotal ECC matchup. However, Bridgeport was up to the challenge as they came back with a 13-6 run to build a 17-12 lead with 13:48 left in the opening half.
A K.J. Rose (Binghamton, N.Y./Fairfield University) layup with 12:42 left in the period cut the Purple Knights lead to 17-16, but the Mavericks could not retake the lead as the hosts ensued with a 10-2 run to increase the lead to 27-18 at the 7:48 mark.
After Lyles got Mercy within five, 29-24, with six minutes left, Bridgeport ended the half on a 12-5 run to take a 41-29 lead into halftime.
The Mavericks came out in the second half looking to overcome another halftime deficit and cut the deficit to six, 45-39, with 13:57 remaining following a Stokes layup. Bridgeport followed with an 11-5 run to build a 56-44 lead before Stokes and Rose helped cut the deficit to single digits, 56-47, with under ten minutes remaining.
However, the Purple Knights, picked first in the preseason, would show why they are perennial power in the conference as they came back with ten unanswered to take a 66-47 lead with 5:32 remaining. Ahmed made a layup with 3:10 left to make it 70-51, but the Mavericks would not go down without a fight as they closed the game on a 17-6 run. The deficit proved too much for Mercy to overcome and Bridgeport emerged victorious.
The Mavericks shot 46.8 percent (29-of-62), while the Purple Knights shot an efficient 52.7 percent (29-of-55). Bridgeport held a 35-32 edge on the boards and a 28-14 advantage in points off turnovers.
Head Coach Dr. Jody King and the Mavericks look to bounce back as they travel to Dowling on Wednesday, February 24th in a pivotal ECC matchup. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
