NYACK, N.Y. (Jan. 31, 2018) – Despite a team high tying 13 points from freshman duo Anna Zaborowska (Copiague, N.Y. / Copiague) and Amber Brown (South Brunswick, N.J./South Brunswick), the Mercy College women's basketball team dropped a 70-51 decision to ECC foe New York Institute of Technology  on Wednesday evening at Bowman Gymnasium.

The Mavericks (6-15, 2-10 ECC) have dropped their last five contests, while the Bears (13-8, 7-4 ECC) have won three games in a row.

The Mavericks were led by Brown, who also recorded seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Zaborowska set a new career high in points and finished the night with three steals, two assists and one rebound. Sophomore Caralie Wilson (Gold Coast, Australia / John Paul College) contributed nine points, one rebound and one steal.

Leading the Bears was Maia Hood, who finished with a game high 17 points and eight rebounds. Shalie Frierson almost finished with a double-double, as she recorded 13 points, nine rebounds, one assist and one steal.

The Bears were the first to get on the board in the contest, scoring four points before Zaborowska sunk a three point shot to get the Mavericks offense started. Brown followed in her footsteps, recording another three pointer less than 30 seconds later to give the Mavericks a 6-4 lead. The Bears were able to score nine unanswered points before Wilson was able to stop their momentum with a layup followed by a three point shot with 1:46 left to go in the quarter. The Bears were able to score three more points from the charity stripe in the remaining time, entering the second quarter with a 17-11 lead over the Mavericks.

The Mavericks offense came to play in the second quarter, outscoring the Bears 19-15. Zaborowska opened up the scoring for Mercy for the second consecutive quarter when she recorded a layup in the first twenty seconds of action. Scoring was back and forth until a pair of three pointers from senior Monet Keane-Dawes (Brooklyn, N.Y./ Midwood) and Wilson tied the game at 19-19 with 6:47 on the clock. The Bears responded with five unanswered points until Zaborowska broke the Mavericks silence, hitting a three point shot with 4:36 left to go in the quarter. The quarter was a back and forth battle for the remainder of the time, with the Bears entering halftime leading with a score of 32-30.

The Bears defense showed a pristine performance in the third quarter, not allowing the Mavericks to record any points in the ten minutes of play. The Bears offense took full advantage, recording a total of 22 points for the quarter.

The Mavericks answered back in the final quarter, recording 21 points compared to the Bears 16. However, it was not enough as the Mavericks eventually fell 70-51 to NYIT.

Mercy shot 36.4 percent (20-of-55) from the floor, 32.0 percent (8-of-25) from long distance and 75.0 percent (3-of-4) from the foul line. NYIT shot 45.1 percent (23-of-51) from the field, 36.4 percent (4-of-11) from downtown and 71.4 percent (20-of-28) from the charity stripe.

Head Coach Jim Harter and the Mavericks resume action on Saturday, February 3rd when they travel to LIU Post to take on the Pioneers at 1:30 p.m.