ROCHESTER, N.Y. (Nov. 18, 2017) – Despite a game high 34 points and 13 rebounds from junior Dequawne Richards (Bronx, N.Y./Hostos CC), the Mercy College men's basketball team overcame a 16-point second half deficit to force overtime before falling, 115-109, in double overtime to Chestnut Hill College on Saturday night at Roberts Wesleyan College.
The Mavericks (1-2) drop their second straight game, while the Griffins (1-2) earn their first win of the season.
Richards went 13-of-25 from the field and added two blocks, while junior Sal Barbetto (New City, N.Y./Rockland CC) had 24 points and four rebounds. Senior Brendon Smith (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore City CC) contributed eight points and ten rebounds and senior Kelvin Howard (Temple Hills, Md./Baltimore City CC) netted eight points and seven rebounds. Junior Amir Atkins (Alexandria, Va./Hagerstown CC) and freshman Shannon Denny (Queens, N.Y./The Pomfret School) also added eight points for Mercy.
Leading Chestnut Hill was Liban Awl who had a team high 28 points, while Demetrius Isaac and Cartier Talford added 25 points apiece.
Barbetto opened the contest with a layup to give the Mavericks an early 2-0 lead. The Griffins then followed with seven straight points to build a 7-2 lead. Mercy responded by cutting the deficit to one, 18-17, after a pair of Howard free throws at the 10:59 mark.
Chestnut Hill answered with a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to build their largest lead of the half, 31-19, with 6:53 remaining before halftime. The Mavericks concluded the half on a 20-11 run, capped off by a Chris Myers (Hackensack, N.J./Southeastern CC) three, that sent Mercy into halftime down just three, 42-39.
After Chestnut Hill had built the lead up to six, Barbetto followed with a jumper that brought the score to 52-48 with 16:33 left in regulation. The Griffins then followed with a 17-5 run to take their largest lead of the game, 69-53, with 10:54 remaining in the second half.
The Mavericks continued to battle and would fight their way back into the game with a 20-6 run that got Mercy within two, 75-73, at the 5:24 mark. Richards brought the Mavericks within a point, 83-82, with 28 seconds left after a layup. Mercy was forced to foul and Awl made both to increase the lead to three, 85-82, with 20 seconds left. The next Mercy possession saw Richards record an offensive rebound following a missed three-pointer and draw a foul while in the act of shooting a three pointer with seven seconds on the clock. Richards went 3-of-3 from the line to tie the game up at 85-85 and a last second jumper by Chestnut Hill would not fall sending the game into overtime.
The first overtime period saw the Griffins build a five-point lead, 99-94, with 29 seconds left and looked to be on the verge of ending the game. However, Barbetto answered with a layup to make it a three-point game, 99-96. Talford went 1-of-2 from the foul line to increase the Griffins lead to four, 100-96, with 13 seconds left. Richards then came down the floor and drained a three while drawing a foul. The junior then went on to make the free throw to tie the game up at 100-100. Following a Chestnut Hill turnover, Howard missed a jumper at the end that would have given Mercy the win leading to another overtime period.
The Griffins built a 109-104 lead with 2:12 remaining in the second overtime period. The Mavericks cut the Chestnut Hill lead to just two, 111-109, with 1:12 remaining, but the Griffins would end the game on a 4-0 run to secure the win.
Mercy shot 41.4 percent (36-of-87) from the floor, 38.5 percent (10-of-26) from downtown and 67.5 percent (27-of-40) from the foul line. Chestnut Hill shot 52.6 percent (41-of-78) from the field, 42.9 percent (9-of-21) from beyond the arc and 82.8 percent (24-of-29) from the charity stripe.
Head Coach Michael Maczko and the Mavericks look to bounce back when they play Georgian Court tomorrow at Roberts Wesleyan College at 2 p.m.
