ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Roberts Wesleyan University women's basketball team got off to a fast start in 2024, scoring the first four points of their East Coast Conference game against Mercy at the Voller Athletic Center on Friday night.
The visiting Mavericks regrouped and eventually built a 15-point lead with 6:10 to play in the third quarter, but the short-handed Redhawks, who were playing their first game since Dec. 16, responded in a big way. Roberts outscored Mercy 36-26 the rest of the way, cutting the deficit to just two points in the final minute before falling 77-72.
"We were down 15 and we put a new group out there and they gave us a lift," Roberts coach Kevin Clifford said. "I am proud of the team. We battled, scrapped and scraped."
Sophomore guard Marianna Freeman scored 19 points to lead Roberts (4-7, 0-3 ECC). Graduate student Georgia Haverlock added 12 points, senior guard Danielle DiCintio scored 10 and sophomore forward Grace Galgano contributed nine points and nine rebounds.
"We're fighters," DiCintio said. "We are never going to give up until the final buzzer goes off."
Roberts went on a 13-1 run in the third quarter as Ashlynn McKnight, Freeman and Galgano all made three-point shots to bring the Redhawks within four points. Mercy went up 11 with 3:26 in the game, but Freeman fueled a 10-0 run by the Redhawks with five points to make the score 72-70 with 25 seconds to play. The Mavericks converted five of six free throws down the stretch to close out the game.
"You have to give credit to Mercy," Clifford said. "Every time that we made a run, they made a play."
Freshman guard Madalyn Mahoney also provided a spark for Roberts, scoring her first eight points of the season in nine minutes of action.
"It felt really good to be out there and to be helping the team," said Mahoney, who made a three-pointer with 1:04 remaining in the first half to get on track.
"Once I made that first shot it gave me confidence and my teammates did a great job of finding me. I was having so much fun out there."
The Redhawks are scheduled to play Saint Thomas Aquinas College at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Voller Athletic Center.