DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Jan. 18, 2024) – The Mercy University men's basketball team hosts ECC foes D'Youville University on Friday, January 19th at 7 p.m. and Daemen University on Sunday, January 21st at 2 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Friday, January 19th 7 p.m.
Records: Mercy (1-13, 0-4 ECC), D'Youville (5-10, 2-2 ECC)
Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. D'Youville
Mercy earned an 81-79 win over D'Youville on February 17, 2023.
Last Meeting vs. Daemen
Daemen earned an 82-51 win over Mercy on February 19, 2023.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is coming off a 76-64 loss at Chestnut Hill on Tuesday. The Mavericks were led by senior Alex May who had a game-high-tying 19 points and by seniors Jay Turner and Jayden Dewaal who each had a double-double. Mercy was selected ninth in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 6-20 overall and 3-13 in ECC play last season. The Mavericks are looking to make their first ECC Championship appearance since 2021. Mercy has not qualified for the ECC Championship without every team making it since 2016. The Mavericks are looking to win their season opener for the first time since 2017. Leading the returners for second-year Head Coach Chris Watts is senior Jayden Dewaal who was named Third Team All-ECC, ECC Player of the Week once and ECC Defensive Player of the Week twice last season. Dewaal averaged 12.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game last season, leading the ECC in rebounds per game and ranking fifth with 1.5 blocks per game. Dewaal ranked fifth in Division II in rebounds per game and third in offensive rebounds per game a year ago. Also, returning is graduate student Garrett Kirkland who averaged 8.1 points per game last season in 16 starts. Senior Braelon Joe returns after averaging 5.1 points and 3.2 assists per game last season, leading the team in assists per game. Also returning for Watts are seniors Alex May and Jay Turner and sophomores Sean Conroy, Asa Kone and Robert Zmujdzin. The newcomers are led by junior Taj Chiles who joins the Mavericks from University of Bridgeport where he led the CACC in assists last season with 5.2 per game. Junior Max Mitchell joins Mercy from Roberts Wesleyan University where he averaged 3.3 points per game and shot 44.4 percent from downtown last season. Also, joining the Mavericks as transfers are sophomore Jamal Jacobs (West Virginia Wesleyan College), sophomore Thomas Mandell (Penn State-Berks) and junior Elijah Botnick (UConn Avery Point). Watts also welcomes a strong freshman class led by Zein Wahdan who joins the team from Egypt. Derek Long and Ashton Sannasi will also look to compete for time in their first season at Mercy. The Mavericks have been led by Dewaal who was named to the ECC Honor Roll on November 20th, January 8th and January 16th and averages a team-high 16.7 points and an East Region-best 11.3 rebounds per game on a team-best 54.3 percent shooting. Dewaal recorded his 500th career rebound against Goldey-Beacom on November 18th, becoming the 13th Maverick in program history to record 500 career rebounds. May was named to the ECC Honor Roll on November 13th and is second on the team with 14.3 points per game and averages 4.1 rebounds per game. Kirkland is fourth on the team with 9.4 points per game and is making a team-high 2.7 three-pointers per game. The graduate student set a new school record with his 183rd career three-pointer in the game at UDC on December 9th. Conroy averages 5.4 points per game and Kone is netting 4.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Chiles was named to the ECC Honor Roll on January 8th and is posting 10.3 points per game and a team-high 3.5 assists per game. Mercy is 3-2 all-time against D'Youville and is 0-20 all-time against Daemen.
Scouting the Saints
D'Youville is coming off a 72-63 loss to UDC on January 12th for their third straight loss. The Saints were picked eighth in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 4-21 last season. D'Youville is led by Chase Jenkins who averages a team-high 14.2 points per game on 48.1 percent shooting. Trayton Trice records 13.7 points per game on 49.3 percent shooting with a team-high 6.3 rebounds per game. Noah Hutchins nets 9.3 points per game and dishes out a team-high 4.3 assists per game. Nasir Hammonds pours in 8.1 points per game and is second with 5.0 rebounds per game.
Scouting the Wildcats
Daemen is coming off a 71-62 loss to Staten Island on January 12th that snapped a four-game winning streak. The Wildcats will play at St. Thomas Aquinas on Friday before playing at Mercy on Sunday. Daemen was picked second in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 20-8 last season. The Wildcats have won at least 19 games in every full season since joining the ECC in 2013. Daemen is ranked No. 8 in the latest D2CSC East Region Top 10 Poll. The Wildcats are led by Dylan Fasoyiro who leads the team with 15.8 points per game on 49.7 percent shooting. Justin Glover averages 13.3 points per game on 47.3 percent shooting and dishes out a team-high 3.3 assists per game. ECC Preseason Player of the Year Joey Atkins nets 11.8 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game with a team-high 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. Nick MacDonald and Andrew Mason both average double figures in points at 11.6 and 11.3 points per game, respectively. Justin Hemphill produces 9.9 points per game and leads the team with 7.9 rebounds per game.
Next Game
Mercy plays at Staten Island on Wednesday, January 24th at 7:30 p.m.
