ROCHESTER, N.Y. (Feb. 4, 2023) – Powered by a combined 52 points from graduate student Taysha Bender (Glen Burnie, Md./Archbishop Spalding), senior Katie Wall (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) and freshman Angelina Barrera (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester Catholic), the Mercy College women's basketball team earned a 76-68 come-from-behind victory at ECC foe Roberts Wesleyan University on Saturday afternoon at the Voller Athletic Center.

The Mavericks (14-7, 8-3 ECC) have won nine of their last 10 games and win at the Redhawks (3-15, 2-9 ECC) for the first time in program history. Mercy also sweeps the season series with Roberts Wesleyan for the first time and now has their most wins in a season since the 1988-89 season. The Mavericks have also secured their first winning record in the regular season since the 1996-97 season.

Bender had a game-high-tying 18 points and Wall had 17 points and four rebounds. Barrera added a career-high 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting with seven rebounds. Sophomore Jaclyn Stanavich (Amsterdam, N.Y./Amsterdam) netted nine points, five assists and four steals and senior Asha Talib (Allentown, Pa./University of Bridgeport) recorded seven points and a team-high eight rebounds. Senior Kellie Nudd (Colchester, Conn./Bacon Academy) produced four points, six rebounds and four assists and senior Briana Barnard (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) and junior Maria Tedesco (Ocean Township, N.J./St. Rose) each had two points.

Roberts Wesleyan was led by Danielle DiCintio who had a game-high-tying 18 points.

Mercy held an early 7-5 lead after a Bender three with 7:56 left in the first quarter. The Redhawks answered with a 10-2 run to take a 15-9 lead with five minutes remaining in the quarter. The Mavericks later cut the deficit to two, 18-16, after a Barrera layup with 2:09 on the clock. Roberts Wesleyan followed with five straight points to make it 23-16 before a Nudd jumper at the buzzer cut the hosts lead to 23-18 after the first quarter.

Back-to-back threes from Bender to open the second quarter gave Mercy a 24-23 lead. The Redhawks ensued with a 16-6 run to take their largest lead of the game, 39-30, with 4:38 left in the half. The Mavericks rallied with seven straight points, capped off by a Stanavich three-point play, to cut the hosts lead to two, 39-37, with 2:26 on the clock. A Georgia Haverlock jumper gave Roberts Wesleyan a 41-37 lead at halftime.

The Redhawks scored the first four points of the third quarter to take a 45-37 lead with 6:47 on the clock. Roberts Wesleyan later led 47-40 at the 5:43 mark before two free throws from Wall and a three from Bender made it 47-45. The Redhawks increased the lead back to five, 52-47, with 1:24 on the clock before a Wall three and two Stanavich free throws tied the game at 52-52. A late Grace Dow layup gave the Redhawks a 54-52 lead after three quarters.

The hosts recorded the first basket of the fourth quarter to take a four-point lead, 56-52. A Wall jumper and Barrera three-point play put the Mavericks back in front, 57-56, with 6:18 left. Bender later gave the Mavericks a 59-56 lead before a DiCintio three tied the game at 59-59 with five minutes remaining. A Barrera jumper gave Mercy a 61-59 lead before Dow drained two free throws to even the score again at 61-61. Barrera and Nudd connected on four straight free throws to put the Mavericks up 65-61 with 3:20 on the clock. A Galgano layup made it 65-63 before Talib finished a layup of her own to give Mercy a 67-63 lead with 2:12 left. Roberts Wesleyan again got within two, 67-65, after a Paris Anthony layup before Wall went 1-of-2 from the line to make it 68-65 with 1:46 remaining. A Barrera layup and Bender free throw built the Mercy lead to six, 71-65, with 46 seconds on the clock. A DiCintio three got the Redhawks to within three, 71-68, with 43 seconds left in the game. The Mavericks defense would hold Roberts Wesleyan scoreless for the remainder of the game and Barrera and Bender combined for five points at the line to give Mercy the 76-68 win.

Mercy shot 36.1 percent (26-of-72) from the floor, 30.0 percent (6-of-20) from downtown and 78.3 percent (18-of-23) from the foul line. Roberts Wesleyan shot 44.8 percent (26-of-58) from the field, 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from beyond the arc and 60.0 percent (6-of-10) from the charity stripe. Mercy held a 42-37 edge on the glass and used 19 Redhawks turnovers to hold a 24-11 edge in points off turnovers.

Head Coach Scott Lagas and the Mavericks resume action on Wednesday, February 8th when they host St. Thomas Aquinas at 5 p.m.