WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 10, 2018) – Despite a game-high 30 points from freshman Amber Brown (South Brunswick, N.J./South Brunswick), the Mercy College women's basketball team suffered a 76-72 setback to ECC foe University of the District of Columbia on Saturday afternoon at the UDC Sports Complex.
The Mavericks (6-18, 2-13 ECC) have dropped eight games in a row, while the Firebirds (4-21, 2-13 ECC) snap a four-game losing streak with the win.
Brown tied her career high in points on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor and 11-of-13 from the foul line. Senior Latisha Clark (Peekskill, N.Y./Peekskill) netted nine points and senior Monet Keane-Dawes (Brooklyn, N.Y./Midwood) recorded seven points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
UDC was led by Daeja Quick who had a team-high 24 points and eight rebounds.
The Firebirds jumped out to an early 14-4 lead at the 6:03 mark of the first quarter, leading to a Mercy timeout. Out of the timeout, the Mavericks closed the period on an 18-6 run to take a 22-20 lead after one quarter of play.
UDC began the second quarter with five straight points to take a 25-22 lead with 8:48 left in the half. A three pointer from Abigail Collier (Watertown, Conn./Watertown) later tied the game at 27-27 and the score remained tied at 29-29 following a pair of Cynthia Perez (Middle Village, N.Y./Christ the King) free throws.
The Firebirds responded with an 8-0 run to build a 37-29 advantage with 2:51 remaining in the quarter. Mercy would finish off the half on a 9-2 run, capped off by a Keane-Dawes three, that sent the Mavericks into halftime down, 39-38.
The third quarter saw UDC begin the frame on a 10-2 run to increase their lead to nine, 49-40, at the 6:14 mark. Mercy continued to battle and ensued with a 12-2 run to retake the lead, 52-51, with 2:55 on the clock. The Firebirds briefly retook the lead before Brown ended the quarter with five straight points to give the Mavericks a 59-56 lead after three quarters.
The hosts started the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run to build a five-point lead, 64-59, with 8:22 left. Mercy immediately came back with five straight points to tie the game up at 64-64. UDC responded with a pair of free throws to regain the lead before five unanswered points from the Mavericks gave them a 69-66 margin with four minutes remaining.
Mercy held a 71-68 lead with 3:35 on the clock after a Brown layup. After several shot attempts and offensive rebounds, the Firebirds drew a foul and Danielle Harrington drained a pair to get UDC within one, 71-70, with 2:29 left. Brown drew a foul on the opposite end and went 1-of-2 from the line to put Mercy in front 72-70 with just over two minutes left.
The Mavericks would be unable to score again for the remainder of the contest and the Firebirds went 6-of-6 from the foul line in the final 40 seconds to secure the win.
Mercy shot 41.7 percent (20-of-48) from the floor, 38.1 percent (8-of-21) from long distance and 92.3 percent (24-of-26) from the foul line. UDC shot 34.8 percent (23-of-66) from the field, 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from downtown and 74.2 percent (23-of-31) from the charity stripe.
Head Coach Jim Harter and the Mavericks resume action on Wednesday, February 14th when they host The College of New Rochelle for Senior Night at 6 p.m. at Nyack College.
