DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Feb. 27, 2021) – Powered by four Mavericks scoring in double figures, the Mercy College men's basketball team earned a 75-68 Senior Day win over ECC foe D'Youville College on Saturday afternoon at Victory Hall Sports Center.
In a ceremony prior to the game, the athletic department honored seniors Dayvon Cuffey (Baltimore, Md./Anne Arundel CC) and Amadou Camara (Harlem, N.Y./Monroe College) for their contributions as Mavericks.
The Mavericks (2-5, 2-5 ECC) end their regular season with a win and await their next opponent in the ECC Tournament on Wednesday. The Saints (2-12, 0-8 ECC) remain winless in ECC play.
Freshman Kerwin Prince (Waterbury, Conn./Notre Dame West Haven Prep) led the way with a double-double by way of a game-high 18 points and 17 rebounds with five assists and three blocks. Cuffey finished with a season-high 15 points on 7-for-13 shooting with 12 rebounds. Junior James Taylor Jr. (South Chesterfield, Va./Neosho County CC) had 11 points and freshman Jay Turner (Waterbury, Conn./Notre Dame West Haven Prep) added 10 points, five rebounds and four steals. Camara contributed eight points and three steals and sophomore Garrett Kirkland (Springdale, Md./Bishop McNamara) netted nine points.
D'Youville was led by Noah Denz who had a team-high 17 points.
The Saints scored the opening points of the game, but Mercy rallied back with eight straight points to take an 8-2 lead at the 17:29 mark of the first half. D'Youville answered with a 12-4 run of their own to take a 14-12 lead with 12:48 on the clock.
The visitors later held a 19-17 lead before Mercy went on a 13-4 run, capped off by a Taylor Jr. layup, which put the Mavericks back in front, 30-23, with 4:14 left before halftime. D'Youville cut the deficit to one, 30-29, but Mercy followed with a 7-0 spurt, finished off by a Kirkland three, which gave the Mavericks their largest lead of the half, 37-29, with 1:26 on the clock. The Saints scored the final five points of the half to head into halftime down three, 37-34.
Mercy opened the second half on a 22-7 run to increase their lead to a game-high 18 points, 59-41, with 10:57 left to play. The Mavericks later held a 63-46 lead following a Cuffey layup at the 6:10 mark and looked to have the game well in hand. However, the Saints ensued with a 19-5 run over the next five minutes to cut the Mercy lead to just three, 68-65, with 1:08 remaining.
After the teams traded empty possessions, Camara made a layup off an assist from Cuffey with 37 seconds left which put Mercy up five, 70-65. Mercy got another defensive stop and Taylor went 1-for-2 from the line to put the Mavericks up six, 71-65, with 21 seconds on the clock. A three from Mason Putnam with seven seconds on the clock got the Saints back within three, 71-68. Mercy held D'Youville off the scoreboard for the final seven seconds and Kirkland and Prince both went 2-for-2 from the line to give the Mavericks the Senior Day win.
Mercy shot 39.0 percent (30-for-77) from the floor, 19.0 percent (4-for-21) from downtown and 57.9 percent (11-for-19) from the foul line. D'Youville shot 38.1 percent (24-for-63) from the field, 39.3 percent (11-for-28) from beyond the arc and 81.8 percent (9-for-11) from the charity stripe. Mercy held a 49-41 edge on the glass.
Head Coach Michael Maczko and the Mavericks resume action on Wednesday, March 3rd when they play in the ECC Tournament against an opponent to be determined.
