Firebirds Let Late Lead Slip Away in 87-84 Loss vs. Mercy

WHITE PLAINS, NY – Junior transfer forward Joseph Nickerson had game-highs of 31 points, nine rebounds and three assists, but it was not enough to hold off the Mavericks second half comeback as the University of the District of Columbia men's basketball team was defeated by Mercy College, 87-84 Thursday night in East Coast Conference play at the West Chester County Center.

The Firebirds, playing without star junior transfer point guard Kasim Chandler tonight, had its four-game win streak snapped as they fell to 13-12 overall and 11-6 in league play. They remain in 3^rd place in the league standings with 4^th place LIU Post (10-7) visiting Daemen tomorrow and 5^th place Bridgeport dropping its 4^th straight at Molloy tonight.

Mercy's win tonight moved the Mavericks into the 6^th and final ECC playoff spot at 9-8. Mercy, which completed a season sweep of the Firebirds, improved to 12-11 overall.

Nickerson shot 12-of-19 from the field and he made 6-of-12 free-throws. He scored 20 of his season-high 31 points in the 2^nd half as he made 8-of-10 FG, including his only three-point attempt of the half.

Fellow junior transfer forward Jayone Troutman made 7-of-9 form the floor as he contributed 14 points and a game-high two blocked shots.  Also, reserve guard Reggie Sidbury and Virgil Fleming added 11 and 10 points off the bench.

Two reserves - Shaquille Stokes and Gerald McClease - led Mercy to its 7^th win in its last 10 outings with strong 2^nd half performances. Stokes scored 15 of his team-high 22 points in the 2^nd half and McClease 17 of his 19.

The Firebirds out-shot Mercy 52-percent to 43-percent from the field, but in a game that featured 53 fouls, the Mavericks had three fewer personal fouls and 11 more made free-throws as they out-shot UDC, 77-percent (30-of-39) to 66-percent (19-of-29). Mercy doubled-up the Firebirds, 24-12 in made free-throws in the 2^nd half.

Team depth was also a critical factor as the Mavericks had six substitutes compared to the Firebirds' three, and Mercy's bench out-scored UDC's, 50-21.

Mercy's William Robinson scored the game's first four points as the Mavericks charged out to a 6-0 lead in the first two-and-a-half minutes. Nickerson then scored five points during a 12-2 response by the Firebirds, culminating in a three-pointer by Sidbury at 12:19 to put UDC up 12-8. Stokes would score four straight to force the 3^rd tie of the game at 12, but the Firebirds opened up an 11-point advantage (30-19) by out-scoring the Mavericks 18-7 over the next four minutes. Nickerson's jump shot at the 1:43 mark again put UDC up 11, but the Firebirds would settle for an eight-point halftime lead (40-32) after the Mavericks ended the opening period on a 5-2 run.

Mercy out-scored UDC 13-6 courtesy of two three-pointers by McClease, and whittled the Firebirds' lead to one, 46-45 just over five minutes into the 2^nd half. Still only a three-point UDC lead under 11 minutes, Nickerson scored three points during a 5-0 Firebirds run that increased their lead to the original halftime margin of eight, 63-55. Stokes and McClease would then steer Mercy back with a 13-5 surge over the next four minutes as the Mavericks forced a 68-all tie near the five-minute mark. Nickerson then scored UDC's next five baskets, including his lone three-pointer of the game at the 3:32 mark, as his 11 straight points kept UDC ahead 79-77 nearing the two-minute mark.

But the Mavericks simply kept coming, and UDC could find little offense outside of Nickerson. A pair of McClease free-throws at the 53-second mark capped a 5-0 Mercy run that gave the Mavericks their first lead of the 2^nd half, 82-79. Twice in the remaining time, UDC pulled within one, including when senior guard Erin Senegal's pair of free-throws made it 85-84 with six seconds left to play.

Mercy's Tyseem Lyles made a pair of free-throws with four seconds left to make it a three-point game, and Sidbury's half-court heave at the buzzer fell way short as the Mavericks prevailed for a three-point win.