DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. - Junior guard Anthony Gill (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) hit the go-ahead basket with nine seconds remaining to give the Caldwell College men's basketball team a 77-75 victory over Mercy College Tuesday night at the Mercy Gym. The win is the first of the 2010-11 season for the Cougars (1-2), while the Mavericks are now 0-2.
With Caldwell trailing 75-73 with 1:17 left in the second half, senior forward Antonio Brimley (Paterson, NJ/Paterson Eastside) made a lay-up to tie the game at 75-75 at the one-minute mark. Mercy missed a lay-up on the next possession, giving the Cougars the ball with 28 seconds remaining. Gill dribbled into the lane and lofted an eight-footer into the basket to put Caldwell on top, 77-75 with 9.1 seconds to go. The Mavericks attempted a three-pointer just before the buzzer, but it glanced off the rim as time expired.
In the first half, the Cougars fell behind by as many as nine points, including 23-14 before an 8-0 run made the score 23-22 with 6:15 left in the half. A basket by sophomore forward David Jones (Millville, NJ/Living Faith Christian) tied the score at 36-36 with under a minute to go in the half, only to have Desentrie Allen's lay-up send the Mavericks into the halftime break with a 38-36 lead. Junior guard Nik Otovic (Kraljevo, Serbia) led Caldwell with 11 points in the half.
In the second half the lead changed hands seven times, with four ties. Caldwell erased a 56-49 deficit with a 10-2 run to take a 59-58 advantage with nine minutes to play. But Mercy regained the upper hand, as a jumper by Kourtney Parker put the Mavericks back on top, 69-63 at the five-minute mark of the second half. Again the Cougars fought back, using baskets by Gill and Otovic plus a pair of free throws to tie the score at 69-69. Following two Mercy free throws, freshman guard Matt Rista (Point Pleasant, NJ/St. Anthony) drained a three-pointer for a 72-71 Caldwell lead. But it didn't last long, as Mercy hit back-to-back baskets for a 75-72 advantage with 1:43 left. Gill's free throw cut the lead to 75-73, setting up Brimley's tying shot and Gill's game-winner.
