DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Nov. 21, 2023) – Despite four Mavericks scoring in double figures, the Mercy University men's basketball team dropped a 97-80 decision to University of Bridgeport on Tuesday night at the Neil Judge Student Athlete Center.
The Mavericks (0-7) remain winless on the year, while the Purple Knights (2-3) snap a two-game losing streak to Mercy.
Mercy was led by senior Jayden Dewaal (Toronto, Canada/Trinidad State Junior College) who had a team-high 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting with a game-high 11 rebounds. Senior Alex May (Englewood, N.J./St. Francis College (Brooklyn) recorded 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting and graduate student Garrett Kirkland (Springdale, Md./Bishop McNamara) had 13 points. Sophomore Asa Kone (Bronx, N.Y./Eagle Academy for Young Men) contributed 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and sophomore Sean Conroy (Staten Island, N.Y./Trinity-Pawling) added six points. Junior Taj Chiles (Harlem, N.Y./University of Bridgeport) netted five points.
Bridgeport was led by Jayden Iturmendi who had a game-high 25 points.
The Purple Knights jumped out to an 11-6 lead with 16 minutes left in the first half. The Mavericks responded with a 17-8 run to take a 23-19 lead with 10:49 remaining in the half after a Braelon Joe (Houston, Texas/Monroe College) layup. Bridgeport ensued with a 12-5 run to take the lead back at 31-28 with 6:13 on the clock.
Four points from Dewaal and a three from Conroy gave the Mavericks the lead back at 35-31 at the 4:19 mark. A Kone free throw with 3:07 left in the half increased the Mercy lead to five, 40-35. Bridgeport closed the half on a 13-4 run to head into halftime with a 48-44 lead.
The Purple Knights began the second half on a 7-2 run to increase their lead to nine, 55-46, with 18:37 left. The Mavericks rallied with a 14-7 run, capped off by a Kirkland three, to cut Bridgeport's lead to two, 62-60, with 14:24 left. Following a Bridgeport timeout, the visitors went on an 8-2 run to build the lead back to eight, 70-62, with 12 minutes left.
A pair of May free throws with 10:56 left cut the Purple Knights lead to five, 72-67. Bridgeport went on a 25-10 run to increase their lead to a game-high 20 points, 97-77, with 3:02 left. Mercy would score the final three points of the game on free throws by Conroy and Jamal Jacobs (Tampa, Fla./West Virginia Wesleyan College), but it was not enough, and Bridgeport earned the 97-80 win.
Mercy shot 47.5 percent (28-of-59) from the floor, 33.3 percent (6-of-18) from downtown and 62.1 percent (18-of-29) from the foul line. Bridgeport shot 47.4 percent (37-of-78) from the field, 36.0 percent (9-of-25) from beyond the arc and 82.4 percent (14-of-17) from the charity stripe. Bridgeport held a 47-30 edge on the glass.
Head Coach Chris Watts and the Mavericks resume action on Saturday, December 2nd when they play at STAC at 3 p.m.
