Men's Hoops Tips off 2009-10 at Providence
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PROVIDENCE, RI - In front of a near capacity crowd (2,017 of
2,620) at Alumni Hall on the campus of Providence College, the
Merrimack men's basketball team tipped off their 2009-10 season
with an exhibition contest against Providence College with a final
of 97-74.
Although this was the first meeting between the programs since
February 9, 1955 when the Friars bested the Warriors 79-56, the
23-point margin was the same.
Senior captain Darren Duncan (Briarwood, NY)
led the Warrior offense with 21 points, including 12 points from
the line. Sophomore Wayne Mack (Paterson,
NJ) chipped in 11 points and nine boards on the night.
Junior Darin Mency (Hagerstown, MD) was
among three Warriors sidelined for the exhibition. Sophomore
Roland Davis (Deer Park, NY) also poured in 15
points in 40 minutes for Merrimack.
Providence junior Marshon Brooks led all scorers with 33 points,
including 17 in the first half. Bilal Dixon posted an
impressive double-double (16 points, 15 rebounds) in just 17
minutes of play for the Friars.
1st
Half: Providence 48, Merrimack 39
Coming out of the gates to take an early lead, the Friars
full-court pressure led to a 12-3 lead going into the first timeout
on the floor. Helping Merrimack answer with an ensuing 7-2
run, senior Craig Woehnker (Colts Neck, NJ) took a
charge to negate a Friar basket and nailed a baseline three of his
own to pull the Warriors to within four (14-10).
In a foul-plagued first half (33 total), the Friars were in the
bonus for the last 13:48 of the first half, but only capitalized on
eight free throws to the Warriors 19 points from the charity
stripe, 11 of which belonged to Duncan.
The Warriors trailed 48-39 at the half having given up 17 second
chance points on 23 Friar offensive rebounds. Providence's
Bilal Dixon contributed to the Friars dominance on the glass with
10 first half boards.
2nd
Half: Providence 49, Merrimack 35
With guards Mack and Duncan in foul trouble early in the second
half, the Warriors were forced to play careful defense in the
backcourt. Besides the Friars rattling off six quick points,
Merrimack kept pace through the early stages of the second half.
Freshmen Tyler Young (Brooklyn, NY) and
Gabe Estrada (Washington, DC) each buried their
first field goal attempts in the game with a foul-shot put-back and
a baseline three-pointer, respectively.
Following the season-opener, Head Coach Bert
Hammel spoke of the preseason test against the Big East
Friars.
"It's certainly tough playing without some of our key
guys in the lineup, but I think the game gave us a lot to work
on in preparation for Bentley," Hammel said. "They have a
good deal of size, and without a few of our guys healthy, they hurt
us on the boards. I do like the way we adjusted to their
tempo of play, and I think our players learned a lot from the
experience."
The Warriors begin the 2009-10 regular season on Wednesday,
November 18 when they host reigning regular season champion,
Bentley University at Volpe Gym in North Andover.
Make sure to stop by the Merrimack College Athletics Online Store for all your Warriors
basketball gear needs.
First half action at Alumni Hall
- October 31
