DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Feb. 9, 2023) – The Mercy College men's basketball team plays at University of Bridgeport on Saturday, February 11th at 3 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Saturday, February 11th 3 p.m.
Records: Mercy (3-18), Bridgeport (10-13)
Location: Bridgeport, Conn.
Last Meeting vs. Bridgeport
Mercy earned an 82-77 win over Bridgeport on November 22, 2022.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is coming off an 81-63 loss to No. 18 St. Thomas Aquinas on Wednesday. The Mavericks were led by junior Jayden Dewaal who had a team-high 20 points and a career-high 23 rebounds. 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. Graduate student Sean 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. Senior James 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 3-32 in their last 35 meetings against Bridgeport. The Mavericks last won at Bridgeport in 2005. Leading the Mavericks so far this season is Smith Jr. who averages a team-high 15.1 points per game with 6.1 rebounds and a team-high 1.6 steals per game. Smith Jr. ranks fifth in the ECC in points per game. Taylor Jr. averages 11.4 points per game with 2.5 assists per game. Dewaal is second on the team averaging 11.9 points per game on a team-best 53.1 percent shooting and posts a team-high 10.3 rebounds per game. The junior leads the ECC in rebounds per game and is third in field goal percentage. Junior Braelon Joe posts 5.5 points per game with a team-high 3.4 assists per game and senior Brandon Wilson nets 7.4 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 Purple Knights
Bridgeport dropped a 78-71 decision to Caldwell on Wednesday to extend their losing streak to five games. The Purple Knights were picked seventh in the CACC North Preseason Poll after going 11-16 last season. Bridgeport is led by Matt Turner who averages a team-high-tying 12.8 points per game with 3.3 rebounds per game. Mason Williams posts 10.1 points per game on 46.6 percent shooting with 4.8 rebounds per game and Malcolm Moye is netting a team-high-tying 12.8 points per game and a team-high 5.7 rebounds per game. Ali Sumareh also averages double figures in scoring at 10.9 points per game on 61.4 percent shooting.
Next Game
The Mavericks next game is on Friday, February 17th when they play at D'Youville at 8 p.m.
