ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Jan. 18, 2023) – Powered by seniors Kellie Nudd (Colchester, Conn./Bacon Academy) and Katie Wall (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) scoring in double figures and freshman Angelina Barrera (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) nearly recording a double-double, the Mercy College women's basketball team earned a 52-46 win over ECC foe Molloy University on Wednesday night at Quealy Gymnasium.
The Mavericks (11-6, 5-2 ECC) have won six games in a row and are off to their best 17-game start since the 1985-86 season when they started 13-4. Mercy moves into a tie for first place in the ECC standings and wins at Molloy (3-14, 2-6 ECC) for the second straight year. The Mavericks match their win total from all of last year.
Nudd had a game-high 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting and Wall recorded 14 points with eight rebounds and a game-high four assists. Barrera added nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Sophomore Kayla Halvorsen (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y./Dobbs Ferry) contributed six points and graduate student Sara Hopkins (Mountain Top, Pa./Concordia College) netted five points. Senior Asha Talib (Allentown, Pa./University of Bridgeport) recorded three points.
Molloy was led by Gianni Domond who had a team-high 11 points.
The Lions jumped out to a 13-5 lead with 3:22 left in the first quarter. Mercy closed out the quarter on a 5-0 run, capped off by a Hopkins three, to head into the second quarter down, 13-10.
Molloy increased the lead back to five, 15-10, to open the second quarter. However, the Mavericks followed with a 13-0 run, finished off by a Halvorsen three, to take a 23-15 lead with five minutes left in the half. A Talib three at the 2:16 mark gave Mercy their largest lead of the half, 28-19, and the Mavericks headed into halftime with a 28-21 lead.
The hosts scored the first five points of the third quarter to cut Mercy's lead to just two, 28-26, with 9:08 left in the quarter. The Mavericks responded with a 9-0 run, capped off by a Nudd jumper, to take a 37-26 lead with 2:45 left in the frame. A Barrera layup later gave Mercy a 12-point lead, 41-29, before a Brianna James layup cut the Mavericks lead to 41-31 after three quarters.
Molloy scored the first two points of the fourth quarter to make it 41-33. The Mavericks stormed back on an 8-0 run, finished off by a Hopkins free throw, to take their largest lead of the game, 49-33, with 5:51 remaining. The Lions ended the game on a 13-3 run to make it 52-46, but the deficit proved too much to overcome, and Mercy came away with the win.
Mercy shot 31.4 percent (16-of-51) from the floor, 33.3 percent (6-of-18) from downtown and 73.7 percent (14-of-19) from the foul line. Molloy shot 35.8 percent (19-of-53) from the field, 23.1 percent (3-of-13) from beyond the arc and 100.0 percent (5-of-5) from the charity stripe. Molloy held a 41-30 edge on the glass.
Head Coach Scott Lagas and the Mavericks resume action on Saturday, January 21st when they host Queens at 12 p.m.
