DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Feb. 14, 2021) – Powered by a game-high 20 points off the bench from sophomore Garrett Kirkland (Springdale, Md./Bishop McNamara), the Mercy College men's basketball team earned an impressive 92-66 victory over ECC foe Molloy College on Sunday afternoon at Victory Hall Sports Center.
The Mavericks (1-3, 1-3 ECC) pick up their first win of the season and snap a three-game losing streak, while the Lions (2-2, 2-2 ECC) fall to .500 on the year. The win is the Mavericks first over Molloy since January 13, 2018. The 26-point victory over Molloy is the largest margin of victory for Mercy over the Lions since February 23, 2005 when the Mavericks earned a 107-79 victory. The Mavericks shot 56.9 percent from the floor during the game, which is the highest percentage shot since they shot 63.9 percent against Salem International on November 25, 2014.
Kirkland went 7-for-12 from the floor and 6-for-10 from downtown. Junior James Taylor Jr. (South Chesterfield, Va./Neosho County CC) had 18 points, five assists and four steals and freshman Kerwin Prince (Waterbury, Conn./Notre Dame West Haven Prep) finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore Brandon Wilson (Farmingdale, N.J./Covenant College Prep) netted a season-high 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting and freshman Jay Turner (Waterbury, Conn./Notre Dame West Haven Prep) had seven points, five rebounds and five assists. Senior Dayvon Cuffey (Baltimore, Md./Anne Arundel CC) added five points and 10 rebounds.
Molloy was led by James Montgomery who had a team-high 17 points.
Molloy scored the game's first basket and later held a 4-3 lead at the 17:27 mark. The Mavericks followed with nine straight points, capped off by a Turner layup, to give Mercy a 12-4 lead. The Lions came out of a timeout and scored three straight to make it 12-7, but the Mavericks responded with a 20-5 run of their own, finished off by a Korey Lee (Huntington Station, N.Y./Trinity Pawling) three, which gave Mercy a 32-12 lead with 8:17 left in the half.
The Lions made it a 17-point game following a Steven Torre three but a Prince layup and a Kirkland three put the Mavericks up 22, 40-18, with 5:29 on the clock. Molloy closed the half on a 17-5 run to head into halftime down just 10, 45-35. Mercy shot a blistering 62 percent from the floor in the half and Kirkland drained six threes to help lead the Mavericks in the opening half.
The Mavericks started the second half on a 7-2 spurt with Taylor making a three to give the Mavericks a 52-37 lead. A Darren Fergus layup for Molloy cut the deficit to 13, 52-39, but Mercy rallied with a 16-4 run to build a 68-43 lead with 11:36 remaining.
Molloy made it an 18-point game, 69-51, with 8:14 on the clock, but the Mavericks once again had an answer and put together a 15-4 run to increase the lead to 29, 84-55, with four minutes left. Mercy built the lead to a game-high 30 points, 92-62, with 1:19 left and cruised the rest of the way to the victory.
Mercy shot 56.9 percent (33-for-58) from the floor, 45.5 percent (10-for-22) from downtown and 66.7 percent (16-for-24) from the foul line. Molloy shot 37.9 percent (22-for-58) from the field, 31.8 percent (7-for-22) from beyond the arc and 83.3 percent (15-for-18) from the charity stripe. Mercy held a 46-23 edge on the glass.
Head Coach Michael Maczko and the Mavericks resume action on Wednesday, February 17th at 5 p.m. when they host St. Thomas Aquinas.
