DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Feb. 20, 2025) – The Mercy University men's basketball team hosts ECC foe Molloy University for Senior Day on Saturday, February 22nd at 2 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Saturday, February 22nd 2 p.m.
Records: Mercy (7-16, 6-8 ECC), Molloy (8-16, 4-9 ECC)
Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. Molloy
Mercy dropped an 83-81 decision at Molloy on January 18, 2025.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy was selected ninth in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 2-24 overall and 1-15 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 third-year Head Coach Chris Watts is senior Taj Chiles who averaged 12.2 points, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game last season. He led the team in assists and steals per game and was third in points per game. Chiles ranked fourth in the ECC in assists per game last season. Also returning for the Mavericks is senior Max Mitchell who averaged 3.9 points per game in seven games last season before suffering a season-ending injury. Junior Jamal Jacobs returns after appearing in all 26 games last season and junior Thomas Mandell and sophomores Zein Wahdan, Derek Long and Aston Sannasi also return after playing in a combined 188 minutes last season. Leading the newcomers for Watts is junior TJ Holloway who transfers from Division I Central Connecticut State University. Holloway appeared in 22 games averaging 1.2 points per game in two seasons. Junior Sophomore Shedrach Makanjuola joins Mercy from Quincy College where he averaged 15.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Watts also brings in a strong freshman class led by James Connolly, Nathan Robertson and Ethan Robertson.
The Mavericks are coming off an 80-65 loss at Queens on Wednesday. Mercy was led by freshman Nathan Robertson who had a game-high 23 points. The Mavericks will honor seniors Taj Chiles and Max Mitchell in a ceremony prior to the game. Mercy has five more wins than all of last year and started 2-0 in ECC play for the first time ever. The Mavericks have their most ECC wins in a season since the 2021-22 season. The Mavericks have been led by sophomore Shedrach Makanjuola who is averaging 11.1 points per game on 51.6 percent shooting with 5.9 rebounds per game. Senior Taj Chiles is averaging 7.0 points per game and leads the team with an ECC-best 6.0 assists per game. Chiles is currently ranked No. 8 nationally in the assists per game and No. 15 in total assists (138). Freshman Nathan Robertson is netting a team-high 16.5 points per game on a team-high 51.7 percent shooting to go with 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Junior TJ Holloway is averaging 11.8 points per game with 4.1 rebounds per game and freshman Ethan Robertson is averaging 16.2 points per game and a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game. Sophomore Derek Long and senior Max Mitchell are averaging 7.0 and 4.9 points per game, respectively. Ethan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week for the fifth time on Monday and Makanjuola was tabbed Defensive Player of the Week for the second time. Chiles and Holloway were named to the Honor Roll. Nathan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week for the fifth time last week and Ethan Robertson was tabbed to the Honor Roll. Makanjuola and Chiles were named to the ECC Honor Roll on November 11th and Holloway was tabbed to the Honor Roll on November 18th. Nathan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week on December 2nd and Makanjuola was tabbed to the Honor Roll. Ethan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week on December 9th and Nathan Robertson was tabbed to the Honor Roll. Ethan Robertson was named ECC Player and Rookie of the Week on December 16th and Nathan Robertson was tabbed to the Honor Roll. Nathan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week on December 23rd and Ethan Robertson was named to the Honor Roll. Ethan Robertson has been named MBWA Division II-III Player of the Week Honorable Mention twice. Ethan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week for the third time on January 13th and was tabbed MBWA Division II-III Player of the Week Honorable Mention on January 14th. Nathan Robertson was named to the ECC Honor Roll on January 13th. Makanjuola was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week on January 20th and Nathan Robertson was tabbed Rookie of the Week for the third time. Long was named to the ECC Honor Roll for the first time on January 20th. Ethan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week for the fourth time on January 27th and Nathan Robertson was tabbed to the Honor Roll. Nathan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week for the fourth time on February 3rd and Chiles and Makanjuola were tabbed to the Honor Roll. Mercy is 9-32 in their last 41 meetings against Molloy and are looking to beat the Lions for the first time since February 22, 2023. With a win, Mercy would have their most ECC wins in a season since the 2015-16 season.
Scouting the Lions
Molloy is coming off a 104-83 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas on Wednesday. The Lions were picked seventh in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 7-20 last season. Molloy is led by one-time ECC Player of the Week Rob Matos who is averaging a team-high 24.4 points and 4.3 assists per game. Matos currently leads the ECC in points per game and ranks sixth nationally. One-time ECC Player of the Week Bryce Merchant is second on the team with 17.2 points per game and shoots a team-best 46.6 percent from downtown. Payton Shumpert is third with 13.0 points per game and shoots 38.7 percent from beyond the arc and Matt Lane leads the ECC with 10.9 rebounds per game and is eighth nationally.
Next Game
Mercy plays at STAC on Saturday, March 1st at 4 p.m.
