DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Dec. 15, 2021) – The Mercy College men's basketball team hosts Roberts Wesleyan on Friday, December 17th at 7 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Friday, December 17th 7 p.m.
Records: Mercy (0-8, 0-1 ECC), Roberts Wesleyan (3-4, 1-1 ECC)
Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Last Meeting
Roberts Wesleyan earned a 78-75 win over Mercy on February 14, 2020.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is coming off an 82-59 loss at Chestnut Hill on Saturday. The Mavericks were led by junior Brandon Wilson who had a season-high 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Junior Elijah Mitchell had 15 points and sophomore Justinas Norkus netted eight points. The Mavericks are looking to pick up their first win over Roberts Wesleyan since December 15, 2019. Mercy is 5-11 all-time against the Redhawks with all five wins coming at home. The Mavericks are looking to start 1-1 in ECC play for the first time since 2018. Mercy was picked seventh in the ECC Coaches' Poll after going 2-5 in 2021. The top six teams in the ECC standings qualify for the ECC Tournament. Mercy made their first ECC Tournament appearance since 2016 last season. Wilson was named to the ECC Honor Roll on Monday for the first time this season after averaging a team-high 12.5 points per game last week. Mercy is currently led by junior James Taylor Jr. who averages a team-high 11.4 points per game and has scored in double figures in five of the seven games he has played in. Junior Garrett Kirkland is third on the team with 9.9 points per game and has been named to the ECC Honor Roll twice. He is shooting a team-best 38.8 percent from downtown and has a team-high 19 threes on the year. Junior Elijah Mitchell averages 10.9 points per game and averages a team-high 1.6 steals per game and 2.5 assists per game. Sophomore Jayden Dewaal averages 9.7 points and a team-high 8.2 rebounds per game in four starts. He was named to the ECC Honor Roll two weeks ago and is third in the ECC in rebounds per game.
Scouting the Redhawks
Roberts Wesleyan is coming off a 94-72 win over D'Youville on Sunday. The Redhawks were picked sixth in the ECC Coaches' Poll after going 8-7 last season. Roberts Wesleyan is 1-3 on the road this season and currently leads the ECC in points per game (85.1) and is second in steals per game (9.7). The Redhawks shoot an ECC-best 37.6 percent from downtown and rank second in the conference in field goal percentage (44.8). Roberts Wesleyan is led by Ja'Kair Sanchez who averages a team-high 13.7 points per game. Shane Fanning posts 13.6 points per game and Amari Lee scores 12.3 points per game. Rounding out three Redhawks who average in double figures are Rian Carter (11.9 ppg), Abou Gbane (11.4 ppg) and Fope Okuyiga (12.3). Lee leads the team with 5.7 rebounds per game and 2.7 assists per game. Carter and Fanning lead the Redhawks with 1.6 steals per game and Fanning shoots an ECC-best 59.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Next Game
Mercy resumes action on Sunday, December 19th when they play at Bridgeport at 3 p.m.
