AMHERST, N.Y. – Powered by a game-high 20 points from junior Amani Abuhatab (West Haven, Conn./West Haven), the No. 2 seeded Mercy University Women's Basketball Team earned a 61-55 win over No. 3 seeded Molloy University in an ECC Women's Basketball Championship Semifinal on Saturday afternoon at Lumsden Gymnasium.
The Mavericks (22-6) have won seven games in a row and 17 of their last 18 games. Mercy defeats the Lions (13-17) for the third time this season. The Mavericks advance to the Final for the second time in three seasons and will play at No. 1 seed Daemen tomorrow at 12 p.m. Mercy looks to win their first-ever ECC Championship and secure the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
In a ceremony prior to the game, sophomore Caitlin Leary (Carle Place, N.Y./Carle Place) was presented with the ECC Elite 20 Award for having the highest GPA out of all student-athletes participating in the ECC Championship. Leary currently has a 4.0 GPA as a Health Science -Pre-Occupational Therapy major.
The game tipped off with both teams trading early baskets, resulting in a tight contest throughout the first quarter. Molloy's Sharmeela Ugbogbo opened the scoring with a layup at 8:26. Junior Grace Lesko (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) responded with a three-pointer assisted by senior Angelina Barrera (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) at 7:23, giving the Mavericks a 5-2 lead. Colleen McCullagh of the Lions then scored consecutive layups, helping her team maintain their advantage. In the final minute, Abuhatab hit a crucial three-pointer, narrowing the gap to four points. Barrera's layup with 18 seconds remaining brought the Mavericks within two, ending the quarter with Molloy leading 17-15.
Mercy's defensive efforts and strategic plays helped it gain an edge over the Lions in the second quarter. Senior Kyla Nembach (Lynbrook, N.Y./Lynbrook) was instrumental, opening the quarter with a fast-break layup at 9:24 and later adding a three-pointer at 7:47, assisted by Lesko. Abuhatab contributed defensively with a block and later scored a layup at 6:38, giving the Mavericks a 22-20 lead. Mercy maintained control with contributions from sophomore Morgan Miller (Branford, Conn./Sacred Heart Academy), who scored a layup at 5:07. The quarter ended with Mercy ahead, 28-24, after a layup by Lesko at 1:22.
In the third quarter, Mercy and the Lions were evenly matched, each scoring 11 points. Molloy began the quarter on a 7-1 run to take a 31-29 lead after a Sophia Yearwood three with 6:53 on the clock. The Mavericks responded with a 7-0 run, capped off by an Abuhatab layup, to take a 36-31 lead with 2:05 left in the quarter. Mercy headed into the fourth quarter with a 39-35 lead after a late Miller layup.
Mercy clinched a 61-55 victory over Molloy in a tightly contested final quarter. Miller opened the scoring for the Mavericks with a free throw, extending their lead to 40-35. Miller converted another layup at the 7:40 mark, giving Mercy a 42-35 lead. Rizzitelli kept the Lions competitive, scoring a three-pointer at 5:35 to close the gap to three points, 45-42. A Jamie Davneiro jumper with 2:25 left tied the game at 48-48. Back-to-back baskets from Lesko and Abuhatab and two free throws from Barrera gave Mercy a 54-48 lead with 1:02 on the clock. Abuhatab went 6-of-6 from the line to put the Mavericks up, 60-52, with 26 seconds remaining. A Yearwood three made it 60-55 before Abuhatab went 1-of-2 from the line to finish off the game, sending Mercy to the Final after a 61-55 win.
Abuhatab scored a game-high 20 points and added six rebounds, converting 9 of 12 free throws. Lesko posted 15 points and distributed six assists while collecting seven rebounds. Barrera contributed 13 points, shooting 5 of 11 from the field, and recorded four rebounds. Miller recorded two steals and secured three offensive rebounds. Nembach added five points and five rebounds.
McCullagh led with a strong performance, scoring 14 points and securing 11 rebounds, including five on the offensive end, and added two blocks. Yearwood contributed 15 points, highlighted by making three of six attempts from beyond the arc. Rizzitelli was effective from the free-throw line, converting all six attempts, and finished with a team-high 16 points and eight rebounds.
Mercy shot 33.9 percent (21-of-62) from the floor, 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from downtown and 71.4 percent (15-of-21) from the foul line. Molloy shot 38.8 percent (19-of-49) from the field, 33.3 percent (5-of-15) from beyond the arc and 100.0 percent (12-of-12) from the charity stripe. Molloy held a 43-30 edge on the glass and Mercy used 24 Molloy turnovers to hold a 22-6 edge in points off turnovers.
Head Coach Scott Lagas and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they play at No. 1 seed Daemen in the ECC Championship Final at 12 p.m.
