The Mercy Mavericks basketball team has run into some trouble the last few weeks. The team has gone up against some tough competition, which has resulted in some losses for the Mavericks. While times are tough for the team, not all is bad for the Mavericks. On January 6th against rival Daemen, the Mavericks came out with a thrilling 93-91 victory on their home court. This was arguably the best game of the season for the Mavs, as they had all five starters score at least ten or more points, and had six players in total eclipse the ten point mark.

The leading scorer for the Mavericks was guard Maggie Salomane who scored eighteen points on 5-16 shooting and connecting on six of eight foul shots. Salomane also finished with a team high four assists. Another Maverick who had a tremendous game was Tanayzha Augustine who recorded another double- double recording  fourteen points and a team high thirteen rebounds. Augustine also had a team high four steals, and a team high five blocks. While the starters had a big game for the Mavericks, they also big contributions from the bench. Alexis Monserrate had a huge game in assisting in the victory for Mercy. Monserrate tied Augustine for the team lead in point scoring eighteen point on a terrific 7-9 shooting performance, Monserrate also added three rebounds to help the Mavericks.

Towards the end of the game, both teams were still incredibly evenly matched and would continue to trade buckets all game long. With Mercy down three with seventeen seconds left in the game, Salomane was able to connect with a huge game tying three pointer to tie the game up at 91. While  Daemen was passing the ball around simply holding the ball for the last shot of regulation, Salomane had other ideas of how the game was going to end. Salomane jumped the passing lane and stole the pass and dribbled down to connect on a buzzer beating, game winning lay up to give the Mavericks the thrilling home victory over Daemen. This was a huge victory for the Mavericks.

Another positive note for the Mavericks is the play of Tanayzha Augustine.  Augustine ranks in the top 20 in the nation in both double doubles and also rebounds. Augustine ranks 16th in the nation with an average of 10.8 rebounds a game, and 17th in double-doubles with 8.  Augustine ranks second in the conference with her impressive rebounding total, and by the end of the season may be well on her way to leading the conference in rebounding totals. She is also close to the top of the conference in terms of blocks, registering an impressive 21, which is a major force in helping the Mavericks on the defensive end.

A very interesting stat for the Mavericks is their impressive free throw shooting. As a team, normally anything over 50% is very impressive. The Mavericks as a team are shooting just about 71% which has definitely helped the team put a bunch of points on the board for the team.

The Mavericks play Daemen, St Thomas Aquinas, and District of Columbia this week in hopes of getting back on the winning track.