BRONXVILLE, N.Y. (Nov. 14, 2018) – Despite a career-high 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting from redshirt sophomore Bryan Griffin (Pomona, N.Y./Saint Joseph Regional), the Mercy College men's basketball team dropped an 82-79 decision to Concordia College on Wednesday night at the Meyer Athletic Center.
The Mavericks (0-2) drop their second straight game to start the season, while the Clippers (1-2) pick up their first win.
Griffin set a new career high with 27 points and had five rebounds. Senior Daquon Ervin (Brooklyn, N.Y./UMBC) netted a career-high 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting with four assists. Graduate student Tawayne Anderson Jr. (Freeport, N.Y./Merrimack College) recorded eight points and six rebounds. Sophomore Matthew Alectus (Hollywood, Fla./Hallandale) and seniors Sal Barbetto (New City, N.Y./Rockland CC) and Amir Atkins (Alexandria, Va./Hagerstown CC) posted seven points apiece.
Concordia was led by Cedrick McFadden who had a team-high 25 points along with a game-high eight assists.
Mercy opened the game with the first five points to take a 5-0 lead at the 17:56 mark. The Mavericks later increased their lead to a game-high eight points, 16-8, following a Griffin tip-in with 14:04 remaining in the first half.
The Mavericks later held a 21-13 advantage with 10:53 on the clock. The Clippers cut the deficit to three, 27-24, with 6:35 on the mark, but Mercy went on to build the lead up to seven, 31-24, on an Ervin jumper. Concordia ended the half on an 11-4 run to tie the game up at 35-35 heading into halftime.
The Clippers took their first lead of the game with a free throw at the 19:41 mark of the second half. The lead was short-lived as the Mavericks came back on a 9-1 run, capped off by a Griffin trifecta, that put the Mercy lead back to seven, 44-37, with 16:59 remaining.
A Brandon Fields three-pointer at the 14:58 mark for Concordia capped a 10-2 run and gave the Clippers a 47-46 lead. Following a Mercy timeout, the Mavericks retook the lead at 52-50 after an Anderson jumper with 12:47 on the clock. The hosts regrouped and ensued with a 7-1 run to build a four-point lead, 57-53, with 11:34 left to play.
Mercy made it a two-point game, 64-62, at the 7:19 mark following a tip-in by Anderson. Concordia responded with a mini 5-0 run to increase their lead to seven, 69-62, and later made it a game-high eight points, 79-71, with 2:15 on the clock.
The Mavericks would not go down without a fight and came back with an 8-0 run, concluded with two free throws from Griffin, which tied the game up at 79-79 with 36 seconds left. Following a 30-second timeout by the Clippers, McFadden drained a three-pointer from the top of the key to put Concordia on top 82-79 with 14 seconds left. Mercy would get called for an offensive foul on their ensuing possession and the hosts ran out the clock to secure the win.
Mercy shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from the floor, 33.3 percent (7-of-21) from downtown and 90.0 percent (18-of-20) from the foul line. Concordia shot 53.8 percent (28-of-52) from the field, 39.1 percent (9-of-23) from long distance and 73.9 percent (17-of-23) from the charity stripe. Mercy held a 31-27 edge on the boards and held a 20-13 advantage in points off turnovers.
Head Coach Michael Maczko and the Mavericks resume action on Saturday, November 17th when they play at Dominican at 8 p.m.
