DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Dec. 12, 2018) – Despite a team-high 25 points and eight rebounds from sophomore Amber Brown (South Brunswick, N.J./South Brunswick), the Mercy College women's basketball team dropped an 83-73 decision to ECC foe Queens College on Wednesday night at the Victory Hall Sports Center.
The Mavericks (3-6, 0-3 ECC) have dropped three games in a row, while the Knights (2-7, 1-2 ECC) pick up their first ECC win of the year.
Brown went 9-of-20 from the floor and added three assists. Freshman Taysha Bender (Glen Burnie, Md./Archbishop Spalding) contributed 13 points and a game-high seven assists. Freshman Alexis Lake (Lakeview, N.Y./Malverne) recorded ten points and six rebounds and junior Destinee Hall (Spring Valley, N.Y./Keystone College) finished with eight points.
Queens was led by Nora Gabel who had a game-high 32 points.
Mercy opened the contest with the game's first five points on a Cynthia Perez (Middle Village, N.Y./Christ the King) layup and Bender three pointer. Queens tied the game up at 7-7 with five minutes left in the opening quarter before the Mavericks answered with a 6-0 run to take a 13-7 lead with 2:14 remaining in the frame. The Knights ensued with a 7-0 run to take back the lead at 14-13, but a Bender jumper with four seconds on the clock sent Mercy into the second quarter up, 15-14.
The Mavericks increased the lead back to six, 22-16, on a Brown trifecta and built the lead to seven, 31-24, after a Brown three-point play with 5:08 on the clock. The guests came back with a 7-0 run to tie the game up at 31-31 with 2:23 left before halftime, but Mercy would head into halftime with a 36-34 lead.
Queens began the third quarter on an 8-0 run to take a 42-36 lead with 7:36 remaining in the quarter. Mercy made it a two-point game, 42-40, following a Holly Sanders (Chicago, Ill./Simeon Career Academy) layup, but the visitors put the lead to nine, 51-42, with 4:52 on the clock following a 9-2 run. The Knights later built the lead to 11, 61-50, but Hall answered with a three on the other end to send Mercy into the final quarter down, 61-53.
Mercy started the final stanza on an 8-4 run to cut the deficit to four, 65-61, with seven minutes remaining and a Bender layup at the 3:35 mark made it 68-65. Back-to-back free throws from Brown got the Mavericks to within three again, but the Knights went on a 7-0 run to take a 79-69 lead with 27 seconds left and held on for the win.
Mercy shot 44.6 percent (29-of-65) from the floor, 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from downtown and 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from the charity stripe. Queens shot 52.7 percent (29-of-55) from the field, 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from beyond the arc and 72.0 percent (18-of-25) from the foul line. Mercy held a 36-31 edge on the glass and a 25-14 edge in bench points.
Head Coach Scott Lagas and the Mavericks resume action on Saturday, December 15th when they host Dominican at 12 p.m.
