WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 15, 2025) – Powered by freshmen Ethan Robertson (Boston, Mass./The Winchendon School) and Nathan Robertson (Boston, Mass./The Winchendon School) and sophomore Shedrach Makanjuola (Boston, Mass./Quincy College) scoring in double figures, the Mercy University men's basketball team earned a 64-59 win over ECC foe University of the District of Columbia on Saturday afternoon.

The Mavericks (7-15, 6-7 ECC) have won two games in a row and sweep the season series with the Firebirds (4-17, 2-11 ECC) for the first time since the 2015-16 season. Mercy now has their most wins in a season since the 2018-19 season. The Mavericks complete the first ever doubleheader sweep of the Firebirds with women's basketball in D.C.

Mercy was led by Ethan Robertson who had a team-high 18 points with six rebounds. Nathan Robertson recorded 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting with a team-high seven rebounds and Makanjuola added 14 points and a game-high four blocks. Junior TJ Holloway (Stratford, Conn./Central Connecticut State University) recorded eight points and senior Taj Chiles (Harlem, N.Y./University of Bridgeport) had two points and five rebounds to go along with a game-high 12 assists. Senior Max Mitchell (Westport, Conn./Roberts Wesleyan University) contributed three points and sophomore Derek Long (Milford, Conn./Deerfield Academy) scored two points.

UDC was led by Charles Holley Jr. who had a game-high 19 points.

Mercy held a 16-12 lead with 11:59 left in the first half following an Ethan Robertson layup before UDC scored five straight points to take a 17-16 lead. The Mavericks closed the half on an 18-3 run, capped off by a Nathan Robertson layup, to take a 34-20 lead at halftime.

A Makanjuola free throw at the 18:15 mark of the second half gave Mercy a 16-point lead, 37-21. The hosts scored the next six points to make it 37-27 before the Mavericks went on a 12-2 run, finished off by a Nathan Robertson layup, to take their largest lead of the game, 49-29, with 14:30 remaining.

The Firebirds went on a 10-0 run to make it 49-39 at the 10:29 mark before a Holloway three gave the Mavericks a 52-39 advantage. UDC rallied with a 7-0 run to cut the Mercy lead to six, 52-46, with 6:17 left. An Ethan Robertson free throw ended the run and gave the Mavericks a 53-46 lead.

A Rejuan Gray tip-in later made it 53-48, but a Long layup with 4:17 left gave Mercy a 55-48 lead. A Holloway jumper with 2:31 remaining gave the Mavericks a seven-point lead, 57-50, but the Firebirds scored the next four points to make it a one-possession game, 57-54, with 1:13 left. A Makanjuola dunk assisted by Nathan Robertson gave Mercy a 59-54 lead with 45 seconds remaining. A Holley Jr. three made it 59-57 before a Holloway free throw gave the Mavericks a 60-57 lead with 32 seconds on the clock. A Tevin Curtis layup got the hosts to within one, 60-59, with 15 seconds left before Makanjuola went 2-of-2 from the line to make it 62-59 with 13 seconds remaining. A Gray three-point game-tying attempt would not fall and Mercy got the ensuing rebound. After a Mercy timeout, Makanjuola was fouled and went 2-of-2 from the line to put the game away, giving the Mavericks the 64-59 road win.

Mercy shot 43.1 percent (22-of-51) from the floor, 33.3 percent (7-of-21) from downtown and 61.9 percent (13-of-21) from the foul line. UDC shot 26.9 percent (18-of-67) from the field, 31.6 percent (6-of-19) from beyond the arc and 65.4 percent (17-of-26) from the charity stripe. UDC held a 52-35 edge on the glass.

Head Coach Chris Watts and the Mavericks resume action on Wednesday, February 19th when they play at Queens at 5 p.m.