DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – Despite a career-high 25 points from junior Amani Abuhatab (West Haven, Conn./West Haven), the Mercy University Women's Basketball Team dropped a 60-49 decision to ECC foe RV Daemen University on Friday night at the Judge Athletic Center.
The Mavericks (4-4, 2-1 ECC) see their two-game winning streak come to an end and fall to the Wildcats (7-1, 3-0 ECC) for the fourth straight time.
The contest commenced with Mercy taking an early lead through a free throw by sophomore Morgan Miller (Branford, Conn./Sacred Heart Academy) at 8:59. However, Daemen quickly responded, gaining momentum with a layup by Cecilia Lapertosa at 7:58, assisted by Sophie Auer. Shyla Montgomery's quick succession of layups extended Daemen's advantage to 10-1 by 6:17. Despite a scoring drought, Abuhatab contributed five points from the free-throw line, narrowing the gap. Abuhatab closed the first quarter with a three-pointer at the buzzer, trimming Daemen's lead to 14-8.
Mercy narrowed the gap in the second quarter, ending with a 13-8 scoring advantage over Daemen. Junior Grace Lesko (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) contributed significantly with seven points, including a three-pointer at 7:53 and a layup with 42 seconds left. Montgomery of Daemen opened the quarter with a jumper to extend their lead, but Mercy responded with sophomore Sophia Hoyt's (Middle Village, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) layup at 6:03. Abuhatab's layup in the final seconds brought Mercy within one point, closing the quarter with Daemen leading 22-21.
In the third quarter, Daemen gained momentum with a series of key plays, starting with Ne'vaeh Buntley scoring a layup and converting a free throw at 8:15 to tie and then take the lead. Buntley continued to be effective, draining a three-pointer at 7:35, extending Daemen's lead to 28-24. Mercy struggled with turnovers, allowing Daemen to capitalize with fast-break buckets, including a layup from Lapertosa at 7:23. Despite Abuhatab's early three-pointer and later free throws from Lesko, Mercy trailed as Daemen closed the quarter with a 40-34 lead, thanks to Montgomery's layup in the final minute.
Daemen claimed a 60-49 victory over the Mavericks with a strong performance in the final quarter. Abuhatab kept Mercy competitive by scoring 11 of her team's 15 points in the quarter, including two crucial three-pointers that tied the game early. Despite this, Daemen's Buntley responded with key plays, culminating in a decisive three-pointer with 1:57 remaining, which widened the gap. Daemen capitalized on Mercy's six turnovers in the quarter, using free throws to secure the win.
Abuhatab scored a game-high and career-high 25 points, converting all nine of her free throw attempts, and added three steals. Lesko finished with 13 points and collected nine rebounds. Hoyt contributed with three steals and five rebounds. Senior Megan Marcotte (Enfield, Conn./Enfield) posted two blocks and provided two assists.
Buntley led Daemen with 19 points, shooting 6-for-13 from the field, including 2-for-5 from beyond the arc. She also contributed defensively with two steals. Montgomery added 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting and was a strong defensive presence with five steals and nine rebounds.
Mercy shot 23.7 percent (14-of-59) from the floor, 23.1 percent (6-of-26) from downtown and 88.2 percent (15-of-17) from the foul line. Daemen shot 41.1 percent (23-of-56) from the field, 14.3 percent (2-of-14) from beyond the arc and 80.0 percent (12-of-15) from the charity stripe. Daemen held a 40-38 edge on the glass.
Head Coach Scott Lagas and the Mavericks resume action on Sunday, December 14th when they host D'Youville at 12 p.m.
