DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Jan. 4, 2023) – The Mercy College women's basketball team hosts ECC foe Roberts Wesleyan University on Friday, January 6th at 5 p.m. and hosts Bloomfield College on Sunday, January 8th at 12 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Friday, January 6th 5 p.m.
Records: Mercy (7-6, 2-2 ECC), Roberts Wesleyan (2-8, 1-2 ECC)
Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Date/Time: Sunday, January 8th 12 p.m.
Records: Mercy (7-6), Bloomfield (1-12)
Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. Roberts Wesleyan
Roberts Wesleyan earned a 70-64 win over Mercy on March 2, 2022.
Last Meeting vs. Bloomfield
Bloomfield earned a 68-65 win over Mercy on December 4, 2021.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is coming off a 67-55 win over Alliance University on Monday. The Mavericks were led by senior Katie Wall who had a game-high 22 points and five steals. Wall and graduate student Taysha Bender have both been named to the ECC Honor Roll twice this season and Wall was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week on December 19th. Bender and Wall have also been named Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Division II-III Player of the Week Honorable Mention once. Wall recorded her 1,000th career point against Chestnut Hill on December 6th and Bender netted her 1,000th career point on December 9th against D'Youville. Mercy is 1-18 all-time against Roberts Wesleyan with the lone win coming on December 17, 2021 in Dobbs Ferry. The Mavericks are also 1-2 all-time against Bloomfield with the lone win coming in 2017. Saturday's game will not count towards Mercy's record but will count towards Sacred Heart's record. Mercy looks to start 9-6 for the second straight season. Wall averages a team-high 13.7 points per game with 2.3 assists per game and a team-high 2.2 steals per game. Bender is second on the team with 12.0 points per game and averages 5.0 rebounds per game. The graduate student also averages 2.1 steals per game. Senior Asha Talib averages 5.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game and sophomore Jaclyn Stanavich is posting a career-high 5.0 points per game. Junior Maria Tedesco averages a team-high 5.7 rebounds per game and freshman Angelina Barrera is netting 5.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Graduate student Sara Hopkins dishes out a team-high 3.2 assists per game and senior Kellie Nudd posts 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Mercy enters the 2022-23 season picked fourth in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 11-16 last season. The Mavericks recorded their most overall wins and most ECC wins since 1997 and earned the program's first ECC Championship berth without every team making it since 2009. Mercy looks to qualify for the ECC Championship for the third straight year and win their first-ever ECC Championship. The fourth-place ranking is the highest in five seasons under Head Coach Scott Lagas. Wall was named the ECC Preseason Player of the Year after being named First Team All-ECC and First Team All-Met last season. She was named ECC Player of the Week twice after averaging a team-high 16.0 points, 4.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game. The guard ranked fourth in the ECC in points per game and second in assists and steals per game. Also returning for the Mavericks is Bender who was named Second Team All-ECC and Second Team All-Met last season after averaging 14.3 points per game. Nudd also returns after averaging 10.4 points per game. Tedesco comes back after leading the Mavericks with 6.0 rebounds per game to go along with 6.0 points per game. Talib averaged 6.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season and also returns. Lagas will look to Hopkins who returns after missing last season due to injury. Hopkins averaged 6.8 points and a team-high 5.6 assists per game for Concordia in 2021. During her three-year career at Concordia, she averaged 8.2 points and 3.8 assists per game. Lagas will also look to freshmen Megan Marcotte, Barrera, Nya Carroll and Kyla Nembach to help get the Mavericks back to the ECC Championship.
Scouting the Redhawks
Roberts Wesleyan dropped a 64-44 decision to Molloy in their last game on December 17th. The Redhawks were picked tied for fifth in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 17-16 overall and 10-8 in ECC play last season. Roberts Wesleyan is led by Georgia Haverlock who averages a team-high 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Danielle DiCintio is second on the team with 11.1 points per game and leads the team with 3.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Two-time ECC Rookie of the Week Grace Galgano ranks third on the team with 10.5 points per game and is second with 5.5 rebounds per game. She is also tied for first in blocks per game with 1.4. One-time ECC Rookie of the Week Paris Anthony averages 7.0 points per game and 1.0 steals per game.
Scouting the Bears
Bloomfield dropped a 78-46 decision to Post University in their last game on Wednesday. The Bears were picked sixth in the CACC North Division Preseason Poll after going 5-20 overall and 3-14 in CACC play last year. Bloomfield enters Sunday's game on a 10-game losing streak. The Bears are led by Daniya Darby who averages a team-high 12.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. Myasia Jackson averages 7.5 points per game and Saja Alston posts 7.3 points per game. Morenike Akinrefon contributes 8.3 points per game and Alston leads the team with 2.8 assists per game.
Next Game
Mercy plays at St. Thomas Aquinas on Wednesday, January 11th at 5:30 p.m.
