SPARKILL, N.Y. (Jan. 3, 2018) – Despite three Mavericks recording 20 or more points, the Mercy College men's basketball team battled throughout before falling to ECC foe and 2017 NCAA Division II Elite Eight participant St. Thomas Aquinas College, 106-100, at Aquinas Hall Gymnasium on Wednesday evening.
The Mavericks (6-7, 2-3 ECC) have dropped two games in a row, while the Spartans (13-3, 4-0 ECC) remain unbeaten in ECC play.
The Mavericks were led by junior Dequawne Richards (Bronx, N.Y./Hostos CC) , who recorded a team high 27 points, six rebounds, four assists, three blocks and one steal. Junior Sal Barbetto (New City, N.Y./Rockland CC) added 26 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Senior Marko Kozul (Astoria, N.Y./Felician University) recorded 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and one block.
The Spartans were led by Justin Reyes who recorded a game high 29 points, 18 rebounds, seven assists, four blocks and two assists. Shaquille McFarlan added 21 points, three rebounds and three assists.
The Mavericks were the first to get on the board with a layup from junior Chris Myers (Hackensack, N.J./Southeastern CC), followed by a jump shot from senior Brendon Smith (Baltimore, MD/ Baltimore City CC) in the first three minutes of action. Justin Reyes broke the silence for the Spartans with a successful layup to put them on the board. However, Barbetto and Howard were able to both sink three point shots to give the Mavericks a quick 10-2 lead in the first four minutes of action. The Spartans were able to score six unanswered points to put the score at 10-8 with 14:18 on the clock. The Mavericks then put four points up to give them a 14-8 lead. The Mavericks were able to score five unanswered points, followed by a dunk from Richards at the 9:14 mark, giving Mercy a 27-18 lead over the Spartans.
St. Thomas Aquinas did not back down, as they went on a nine point run to bring the score to 31-29 with 4:46 on the clock. The remainder of the half was a back and forth battle, with the Mavericks eventually heading into the half with a 49-46 lead.
The Spartans entered the second half ready to play, as they were able to score first and record six points in the first three minutes of action. The score remained a back and forth battle for the next three minutes with the score being tied on three separate occasions. Two successful free throws from Barbetto and a dunk from Richards would give the Mavericks a 71-64 lead with 13:05 on the clock. The Spartans responded with eight unanswered points to give themselves a 72-71 lead with 11:13 to go. The score shifted back and forth for the next six minutes, until the Spartans were able to record seven unanswered points to give them a 92-82 lead with 5:45 on the board. Four successful free throws from Mercy left the Mavericks trailing 95-88. A three point shot from junior Amir Atkins (Alexandria, Va / Hagerstown CC) would bring the score to 96-92 with 3:03 remaining in the contest. The Mavericks continued to fight until the final second, but eventually fell 106-100 to the Spartans.
Mercy shot 51.4 percent (36-of-70) from the floor, 40.0 percent (8-of-20) from downtown and 69.0 percent (20-of-29) from the foul line. St. Thomas Aquinas shot 51.4 percent (38-of-74) from the field, 47.6 percent (10-of-21) from long distance and 69.0 percent (20-of-29) from the charity stripe.
Head Coach Michael Maczko and the Mavericks resume action Saturday, January 6th when they face the University of the District of Columbia at 5 p.m. at the College of Mount Saint Vincent.
