DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Feb. 7, 2023) – The Mercy College men's basketball team hosts ECC foe #18 St. Thomas Aquinas College on Wednesday, February 8th at 7 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 8th 7 p.m.
Records: Mercy (3-17, 1-10 ECC), #18 St. Thomas Aquinas (20-3, 11-0 ECC)
Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. St. Thomas Aquinas
Mercy dropped a 116-79 decision to St. Thomas Aquinas on January 11, 2023.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is coming off an 84-83 loss to Roberts Wesleyan on Saturday. The Mavericks were led by junior Jayden Dewaal who had a game-high 26 points and 21 rebounds. Senior James Taylor Jr. had 15 points, graduate student Sean Smith Jr. had 12 points and senior Jonathan Lapierre netted 10 points. Dewaal was named ECC Player and Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. He was also named Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) Division II-III Player of the Week on Tuesday. Smith Jr. was named to the ECC Honor Roll last week and was tabbed Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) Division II-III Player of the Week Honorable Mention last Tuesday. Taylor Jr. was named to the ECC Honor Roll on December 5th. Dewaal was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week and freshman Sean Conroy was tabbed Rookie of the Week on November 28th. The Mavericks won their ECC opener for the first time since 2017 on November 30th against Staten Island. Mercy picked up their first win over Bridgeport since 2013 on November 22nd and the Mavericks also won their home opener for the first time since 2017. The win over Bridgeport gave Interim Head Coach Chris Watts his first win as a collegiate head coach. Mercy is 2-36 in their last 38 meetings against the Spartans. The Mavericks have dropped 20 straight meetings to the Spartans with the last win coming on February 13, 2013. Mercy last beat St. Thomas Aquinas at home on January 21, 2012. Leading the Mavericks so far this season is Smith Jr. who averages a team-high 15.4 points per game with 6.2 rebounds and a team-high 1.6 steals per game. Smith Jr. ranks fifth in the ECC in points per game. Taylor Jr. averages 11.6 points per game with 2.5 assists per game. Dewaal is third on the team averaging 11.5 points per game on a team-best 53.8 percent shooting and posts a team-high 9.6 rebounds per game. The junior ranks second in the ECC in rebounds per game and is third in field goal percentage. Junior Braelon Joe posts 5.6 points per game with a team-high 3.5 assists per game and senior Brandon Wilson nets 7.6 points per game. Senior Garrett Kirkland is averaging 8.9 points per game and Conroy is posting 5.6 points per game. Mercy was selected eighth in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 6-19 overall last season and 6-12 in ECC play. The Mavericks just missed out on qualifying for the ECC Championship and are looking to make the Championship for the first time since 2021. Mercy has not qualified for the ECC Championship without every team making it since 2016. The Mavericks will be led by Watts who returns eight student-athletes from last year's team. Leading the returners is Taylor Jr. who averaged a team-high 13.3 points per game and Wilson who posted 11.2 points per game. Dewaal netted 9.7 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds per game last season and Kirkland also returns after averaging 10.1 points per game in 2021-22. Watts will also look to graduate transfer Smith Jr. who had 11 points in the Mavericks exhibition contest against Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday. Conroy had five points against Fairleigh Dickinson and Joe will also see action after posting three points and three assists in the exhibition.
Scouting the Spartans
St. Thomas Aquinas is coming off a 95-83 win over Roberts Wesleyan on Wednesday for their fifth straight win. The Spartans were picked second in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 28-5 overall and 17-1 in ECC play. St. Thomas Aquinas has won six of the last seven ECC titles. St. Thomas Aquinas is ranked No. 18 nationally in the NABC Top 25 Poll and tied for No. 18 nationally in the D2SIDA Top 25 Poll. The Spartans are ranked second in the latest D2SIDA East Region Top 10 poll. St. Thomas Aquinas is led by one-time ECC Player of the Week and five-time ECC Rookie of the Week freshman James Patterson who averages a team-high 14.6 points per game with a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game. One-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week junior DeVante Jamison averages 13.8 points per game and a team-high 5.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game. One-time ECC Player of the Week junior Jamal Barnes posts 12.7 points per game and one-time ECC Player of the Week senior Antonio Vendola produces 11.8 points per game and 2.3 assists per game.
Next Game
The Mavericks next game is on Saturday, February 11th when they play at Bridgeport at 3 p.m.
