Men's Hoops Set to Visit NE-10 Foe Bentley Tuesday Night
Full Game Notes
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Looking to return to its winning ways after dropping back-to-back contests, the Merrimack men's basketball team returns to conference play to take on nearby rival Bentley University on Tuesday night at the Dana Athletic Center.
After opening the season 2-0, the Warriors have dropped two straight, including a 86-69 setback on the road against 10th-ranked Franklin Pierce and, most recently, suffering a 79-76 defeat in their home opener against Concordia College.
The Falcons opened up the season with a victory against Caldwell as part of the Bentley Tip-Off Classic, but dropped their second match against Dominican. Bentley then fell, 63-50, at UMass-Lowell last week before posting a 66-43 win at Goldey-Beacom to get back to .500.
Bentley owns a commanding 52-31 record against the Warriors in the all-time series, as the two teams will battle for the 84th time on Tuesday.
The Merrimack-Bentley rivalry is the fourth-oldest series in the history of the program. The only teams that Merrimack has played more games against are (in ascending order): Assumption (93); Saint Anselm (101); and Stonehill (105).
At one point, Merrimack only trailed in the all-time series, 35-31, but since 2005-06, the Falcons have owned the Warriors, winning the last 17 meetings over the past seven years. The last time Merrimack defeated Bentley was at home on Dec. 7, 2005, an 89-76 win for the Warriors.
In Merrimack's most recent outing, the Warriors cut a second-half deficit from 13 points to just three with seconds to play, but rookie guard Gelvis Solano just missed on a potential buzzer-beating, game-tying 3-pointer, as the Warriors fell, 79-76, to Concordia in their home opener on Saturday afternoon at Hammel Court.
Down by eight with 20 seconds to play, Solano trimmed the deficit to five by means of his career-high fifth 3-pointer of the match, a basket that came roughly 30 seconds after another made 3-ball from the freshman.
After the Warriors' tenacious defense forced another Concordia turnover with seven seconds left, senior forward Mike Clifford slammed home his second dunk of the contest to make it 79-76 with just more than three seconds remaining.
Following a timeout, Concordia again gave the ball back to Merrimack by means of a turnover on the in-bounds pass, as Clifford came up with the errant pass and slung it out to the left wing where Solano heaved up a desperate three, but the try rimmed out as the final horn sounded to give the Clippers the narrow win.
Looking to move back over .500 with a win, Bentley rides in to Tuesday's matchup fresh off a victory on the road against Goldey-Beacom (66-43) while boasting a 2-2 overall record. The Falcons are in search of their first Northeast-10 Conference win of the year after opening up league play with a 63-50 setback on the road at UMass-Lowell.
Three players average double-digits in scoring for the Falcons, led by Jasper Grassa (13.3 ppg), who has shot 36 percent (18-50) from the field and leads the team in made 3-pointers with eight (8-31, 25.8 percent).
Tyler McFarland has hauled down a side-high 27 rebounds for a team-best 6.8 rpg clip, while Grassa and three-game starter Mike Topercer have dished 13 and 10 assists, respectively, to lead the Falcons on the play-making front. Alex Furness has posted a team-high 55.6 percent shooting clip (15-27) while starting all four games and contributing 10.0 ppg. He also owns the team lead in steals (7), a mark that JP Koury is also tied with.
As a team, Bentley has averaged just over 60 ppg to date, but the Falcons' own the sixth-best scoring defense in the league, giving up just 60 ppg. Their team shooting percentage (.385) ranks only 14th in the NE-10, however.
While the Warriors have struggled in their last two contests, senior forward Mike Clifford has not missed a beat. The Danvers, Mass., native currently averages a double-double on the season and leads the NE-10 in scoring average (21.2 ppg) and ranks third in rebounding average (11.2 rpg).
The 6-foot-7 big man has posted double-doubles in three out of four games already, with the most recent coming on the heels of a 22-point, 10-rebound output at home against Concordia over the weekend.
Despite their inexperience, freshmen guards Gelvis Solano and JT Strickland have played significant minutes in their first four collegiate contests. The duo has manned the backcourt throughout the young season, as both of started each of the first four games at point guard and shooting guard.
Solano recently set a new career high with a team-best 22 points in the Warriors' home loss against Concordia on Saturday. The New Yorker made all five Merrimack 3-pointers against the Clippers and currently ranks second on the squad with 13.0 ppg while dishing out 17 helpers on the season.
JT Strickland, meanwhile, averages just under 10 points per game (9.3 ppg) while starting in all four contests to date. The Laurel, Md., native has distributed a side-high 29 helpers with a team-best nine steals on the season.
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