Men's Basketball Falls On the Road at Saint Anselm
MANCHESTER, N.H.- The Merrimack men's basketball team dropped a 78-56 decision to Saint Anselm Saturday afternoon at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium. The Warriors dip to 10-10 overall with a 6-10 mark in the Northeast-10 Conference. The Hawks improve to 16-5 on the year and 12-5 in league contests.
Wayne Mack (Paterson, N.J.) led the way for the Warriors with 13 points. Tyler Young (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tallied 12 points while Aaron Strothers (Wareham, Mass.) also finished with 12. Young completed the double-double by adding 11 rebounds in the game. Dee Mency (Hagerstown, Md.) chipped in with 11 points and four assists.
Right out of the gate, Merrimack jumped ahead 2-0 with a lay-up by Young after 12 seconds ticked off the clock. Saint Anselm matched each basket that the Warriors made in the first three minutes.
The home team strung together a 6-0 run to gain a 12-7 lead with 14 minutes left to play in the first half.
Each time the Hawks were able to go ahead by double-figures, Merrimack answered with a bucket to keep the game within reach. Saint Anselm netted eight-straight points down the stretch to carry a 39-25 edge into the break.
Once again, Young knocked down the first bucket to open the second frame. A quick 6-0 streak allowed the Hawks to forge further ahead.
Merrimack began to inch closer to the hosts after draining four-consecutive free throws.
Throughout the second half, the Hawks were able to score in bunches to gradually extend their lead.
"We need to do a better job of protecting the ball," said head coach Bert Hammel. "We have some key games coming up so we'll need to work hard in the days leading up."
The Warriors shot 37.1% from the field in the game and 28% from downtown. Saint Anselm owned a field goal percentage of 51.6% while connecting on 29% of its three-point attempts on the day.
The two squads battled evenly on the glass with each team pulling down 37 boards.
Allen Harris paced the Hawks with 24 points in the contest while Jack Keough and Thomas Baudinet added 18 and 17, respectively.
Merrimack remains on the road with a game at Stonehill February 8.
