DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Dec. 6, 2024) - Powered by a buzzer beater from freshman Ethan Robertson (Boston, Mass./The Winchendon School), the Mercy University men's basketball team earned an 84-83 win over Roberts Wesleyan University in their ECC opener on Friday night at the Neil Judge Student Athlete Center.
The Mavericks (1-5, 1-0 ECC) pick up their first win of the season and defeat the Redhawks (3-5, 0-1 ECC) for the first time since 2019. Mercy wins their ECC opener for the first time since 2022.
Mercy was led by Ethan Robertson who had a double-double by way of a team-high and career-high 26 points and 12 rebounds on 10-of-15 shooting. Freshman Nathan Robertson (Boston, Mass./The Winchendon School) added a career-high 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting with six assists and sophomore Shedrach Makanjuola (Boston, Mass./Quincy College) scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Junior TJ Holloway (Stratford, Conn./Central Connecticut State University) contributed 11 points and sophomore Derek Long (Milford, Conn./Deerfield Academy) had a career-high nine points on 4-of-7 shooting. Senior Taj Chiles (Harlem, N.Y./University of Bridgeport) finished with three points and a game-high eight assists.
Roberts Wesleyan was led by Malik Brooks who had a game-high 32 points.
The Redhawks jumped out to a 13-7 lead with 17:13 left in the first half. Mercy followed with an 11-2 run to take an 18-15 lead after an Ethan Robertson three with 14:35 remaining in the half. Roberts Wesleyan followed with a 15-4 run to take a 30-22 lead at the 9:27 mark.
The Mavericks stormed back with a 9-0 run to take a 31-30 lead after a Chiles free throw with 6:31 on the clock. Mercy held a 34-32 lead after a Nathan Robertson three before the Redhawks ensued with a 6-0 run to take a 38-34 lead with 2:37 left in the half. The Mavericks later tied the score at 38-38 before the Redhawks scored six straight points to take a 44-38. Mercy scored the next four points to make it 44-42 before a late Ryan Hudson layup gave the Redhawks a 46-42 lead at halftime.
The Redhawks increased their lead to five, 54-49, with 17:43 remaining. The Mavericks rallied with a 10-2 run to take a 59-56 lead at the 14:46 mark after a Makanjuola free throw. The visitors went on an 11-0 run to retake the lead at 67-59 with 11:26 left to play. Mercy came back on an 11-2 run to take a 70-69 lead with 6:33 on the clock after an Ethan Robertson dunk.
Roberts Wesleyan regained the lead and built it to four, 75-71, with 5:08 left. The Mavericks went on a 9-0 run to take their largest lead of the game, 80-75, following an Ethan Robertson three-point play with 2:40 on the clock. The Redhawks went on an 8-2 run to take an 83-82 lead following a Brooks layup with eight seconds left. Brooks missed the ensuing free throw after being fouled and Mercy got the rebound and called timeout with 2.3 seconds left. Mercy inbounded the ball and Ethan Robertson hit a fadeaway jumper from just inside the three-point line on the right side as time expired, giving Mercy the 84-83 win.
Mercy shot 54.1 percent (33-of-61) from the floor, 33.3 percent (4-of-12) from downtown and 66.7 percent (14-of-21) from the foul line. Roberts Wesleyan shot 45.2 percent (33-of-73) from the field, 19.0 percent (4-of-21) from beyond the arc and 68.4 percent (13-of-19) from the charity stripe. Mercy held a 40-36 edge on the glass.
Head Coach Chris Watts and the Mavericks resume action on Monday, December 9th when they host Franklin Pierce at 7 p.m.
