DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Feb. 8, 2023) – Powered by a career-high 31 points from senior Katie Wall (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham), the Mercy College women's basketball team earned a 65-53 win over ECC foe St. Thomas Aquinas College on Wednesday night at the Neil Judge Student Athlete Center.

The Mavericks (15-7, 9-3 ECC) have won 10 of their last 11 games and move into a three-way tie for first place in the ECC standings with the Spartans (17-6, 9-3 ECC) and Daemen. Mercy sweeps the season series with regionally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas for the first time since the 1975-76 season prior to both teams joining the ECC.

Wall went 12-of-22 from the floor and 5-of-9 from downtown with seven rebounds and three assists. Senior Kellie Nudd (Colchester, Conn./Bacon Academy) had 10 points and graduate student Taysha Bender (Glen Burnie, Md./Archbishop Spalding) recorded seven points and four assists. Sophomore Jaclyn Stanavich (Amsterdam, N.Y./Amsterdam) produced six points and five rebounds and freshman Angelina Barrera (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) netted six points and five rebounds. Junior Maria Tedesco (Ocean Township, N.J./St. Rose) had two points and a team-high nine rebounds and graduate student Sara Hopkins (Mountain Top, Pa./Concordia College) had three points.

St. Thomas Aquinas was led by Trinity Cheatom who had a team-high 15 points.

Mercy scored the game's first four points before the Spartans scored the next eight points to take an 8-4 lead with seven minutes left in the quarter. A Stanavich jumper made it 8-6 before the Spartans went on a 9-2 run to take their largest lead of the game, 17-8, with 2:56 on the clock. Mercy closed the quarter on a 7-3 run, capped off by a Bender jumper, to head into the second quarter down, 20-15.

A Julia Reggio free throw gave the Spartans a 21-15 lead with 7:10 left in the half. The Mavericks stormed back on a 7-0 run, finished off by a Wall layup, to take a 22-21 lead at the 5:28 mark. Reggio gave the Spartans a 23-22 lead after a layup before Wall scored five straight points to put the Mavericks up 27-23 with 4:17 on the clock. An Alexa Huertas three put the Spartans up 28-27 with 3:13 remaining in the half. Mercy ended the half on a 7-0 run, capped off by a pair of Wall free throws, to take a 34-28 lead at halftime.

St. Thomas Aquinas scored the first five points of the second half to make it a one-point game, 34-33, just over a minute into the third quarter. The Mavericks would answer with a 12-4 run, ended by a Nudd three, which gave Mercy a 46-37 lead with 3:56 on the clock. The Spartans later cut the deficit to five, 48-43, before a Wall three gave the Mavericks a 51-43 lead after three quarters.

Wall opened the fourth quarter with a three to give the Mavericks their first double-digit lead of the game, 54-43. The Spartans scored the next four points to make it 54-47, but two free throws from Nudd and another from Barrera put the Mavericks back up 10, 57-47, with 7:49 to play. Mercy would increase the lead to a game-high 12 points, 62-50, following a Wall layup with four minutes left. The Spartans could not get closer than nine points and the Mavericks held on for the impressive home win.

Mercy shot 38.3 percent (23-of-60) from the floor, 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from downtown and 78.6 percent (11-of-14) from the foul line. St. Thomas Aquinas shot 38.6 percent (17-of-44) from the field, 38.5 percent (5-of-13) from beyond the arc and 70.0 percent (14-of-20) from the charity stripe. Mercy held a 38-30 edge on the glass.

Head Coach Scott Lagas and the Mavericks resume action on Friday, February 17th when they play at D'Youville at 6 p.m.