DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – The Mercy University Men's Basketball Team hosts Southern Connecticut State University on Friday, January 2nd at 2 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Friday, January 2nd 2 p.m.
Records: Mercy (2-10), Southern Connecticut State (4-4)
Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. Southern Connecticut State
Mercy dropped a 96-74 decision to Southern Connecticut State on December 21, 2024.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy enters the 2025-26 season picked ninth in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 7-18 last season just missing out on qualifying for the ECC Championship. The Mavericks are looking to make the ECC Championship for the first time since 2021 and make it for the first time without every team making it since 2016.
First-year Head Coach Charles Marquardt and the Mavericks return six student-athletes from last year's team and add six newcomers. Leading the returners is senior TJ Holloway who averaged 11.6 points per game last season and led the team with 42 three-pointers. Junior Derek Long also returns after averaging 7.3 points per game a year ago. Senior Thomas Mandell also returns after playing in 12 games last season with 12 points and sophomore James Connolly is back after playing in 23 games last season with 24 points in 6.6 minutes per game. Sophomore Joshua Naklen and junior Christopher Nana also return for the Mavericks. Naklen was a 1,000 point scorer at Bedford Academy and Nana is a transfer from Division I Sacred Heart University. Nana appeared in three games at Sacred Heart as a freshman during the 2023-24 season.
Leading the newcomers for Marquardt is sophomore Kohen Rowbatham who transfers to Mercy from Division I University of New Orleans. Rowbatham played in 28 games last season as a freshman, averaging 7.1 points per game with 37 assists. The guard scored a career-high 28 points against Stephen F. Austin. Also, joining the Mavericks is junior Daniel Boateng who transfers in from Caldwell University. Boateng played in 45 games in two years at Caldwell and averaged 2.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. Junior Ashton Pratt joins Mercy from Chesapeake College and Virginia Union University. As a freshman at Virginia Union, Pratt appeared in 16 games and had 18 points. Last season at Chesapeake College, Pratt averaged 10.3 points per game. Junior Jordan Trahan joins Mercy from Odessa College where he averaged 2.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in 30 games. Joining the Mavericks as freshmen are Jeffrey Mulhern and Tyrell Miller. Mulhern was a 2,000 point scorer at Duanesburg High School and Miller averaged 9.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game during his senior year of high school.
Mercy is coming off a 92-75 loss at Franklin Pierce on December 21st. The Mavericks were led by sophomore Kohen Rowbatham who had a career-high 30 points. Mercy has been led by Rowbatham who is averaging a team-high 20.2 points per game with a team-high 3.1 assists per game. Rowbatham is currently second in the ECC in points per game. Junior Jordan Trahan is second on the team with 16.0 points per game and leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game. Senior TJ Holloway is third on the team with 15.6 points per game and junior Ashton Pratt is averaging 6.8 points per game. Junior Christopher Nana posts 2.9 rebounds and 3.8 points per game and freshman Tyrell Miller leads the team with 1.6 blocks per game. Junior Derek Long is averaging 8.7 points per game. Mercy is 2-5 all-time against Southern Connecticut State.
Scouting the Owls
Southern Connecticut is coming off a 78-60 win over Molloy on December 20th. The Owls were picked sixth in the NE10 Preseason Poll after going 17-11 last season, advancing to the NE10 Championship Quarterfinals. Southern Connecticut is 4-1 in their last five games after starting the season 0-3. The Owls are led by Justice Ellison who is averaging a team-high 17.8 points per game. Malik Banks is second on the team with 10.5 points per game and Simon Percy is netting 8.3 points per game. Cherif Diarra is averaging 8.1 points per game and leads the team with 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
Next Game
Mercy plays at Roberts Wesleyan on Sunday, January 11th at 4 p.m.
