No. 3 Firebirds Stunned by No. 6 Mavericks, 72-71 in ECC Quarterfinals

WASHINGTON, DC – The No. 3 seed University of the District of Columbia suffered a 72-71 upset loss to No. 6 Mercy College in East Coast Conference Quarterfinal action Wednesday night in our nation's capital.

Junior forward Joseph Nickerson nearly willed the Firebirds to victory with 32 points, 11 rebounds, six steals and five blocked shots – all game-highs. His final points came on a layup to give UDC a 71-69 lead with nine seconds remaining.

However, on the ensuing Mercy possession, guard Raphael Jennings quickly moved the ball up the floor and found an open Gerald McClease in the corner, and the reserve guard buried his second three-pointer of the night for what proved to be the winning basket with five seconds left on the clock.

After McClease's go-ahead triple, Nickerson tried to quickly work the ball up the court, but lost his handle on the ball as KJ Rose stripped it away near mid-court. Rose flipped the ball straight up in the air as the final horn sounded, and the Mavericks' bench stormed the court in jubilation for its first ever post-season victory.

The Mavericks, who managed to beat UDC three times this season, improved to 13-14 overall and will advance to the semifinals where they will take on No. 2 seed Daemen College on Saturday, March 5^th at 7:30 p.m. at the UDC Sports Complex.

The Firebirds' season came to a close with tonight's loss, as UDC finished 15-14 overall and nearly doubled its previous two-year win total of eight.

UDC out-shot Mercy 46-percent to 35-percent from the field and more than doubled-up the Mavericks, 42-20 in points in the paint. Mercy, however, shot much better from three-point range (8-of-17 to 4-of-18) and the foul line (24-of-31 to 11 of 21), and won the rebounding battle, 43-39.

Firebird senior forwards Geran Pope and Clenso Brannon III, who combined for 13 points and 13 rebounds, were saddled with foul trouble by early in the second half, and both played limited minutes.

Pope and Brannon's foul trouble freed up Mercy's big man, William Robinson, to have a big day with 21 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. His counterpart was guard Tyseem Lyles, who registered a team-best 24 points, grabbed six rebounds, handed out three assists and blocked two shots.