Men's Basketball Suffers Another Close Defeat, 75-73, Against St. Michael's
Links: Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team erased a 14-point deficit in the first half to take a lead at halftime, and held a lead late in the second half, but the Warriors were not able to hold on, falling to Saint Michael's, 75-73, on Saturday afternoon.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 73 | St. Michael's 75
Records: Merrimack (3-6, 0-6 NE-10) | St. Michael's (6-2, 4-1 NE-10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
What They Said
Head coach Bert Hammel: "That was a tough game against a really good team. It was good to see the team compete as hard as they did today. We're in a tough stretch right now and we need to learn from it and grow from it. We need to focus on the two road games we have coming up, and make sure we get a couple of wins before the holiday break."
How It Happened
The Warriors entered the game losers of five consecutive contests in conference play, hoping to erase that streak against a St. Michael's team that was coming off an upset victory over No. 7 Southern Connecticut.
Fast forward to less than five minutes to go in the contest, with the Warriors trailing by 10 points after starting the second half with the lead. With the Purple Knights leading 71-61, the Warriors scampered on an 11-0 run to take a 72-71 advantage with 1:57 left in the game. Junior guard Gelvis Solano (Harlem, N.Y.) scored the final five points of the run, including the go-ahead three-pointer to give Merrimack its first lead since the 16:41 mark of the second stanza.
With 1:29 to go Merrimack took a hit, as Solano fouled out of the game. The Purple Knights tied the game on the ensuing free throws after James Cambronne went one-of-two from the free-throw line. Neither team would score until there was 17 seconds remaining in the game, when Dom Ditlefsen capped off a 19-point effort with an offensive rebound and the ensuing put-back to give St. Michael's a 74-72 lead.
The Warriors took a timeout with less than 10 seconds remaining, in an attempt to draw up a play. Out of the timeout, Troy Hammel (Valencia, Calif.) lobbed a pass towards James Kennedy (Dorchester, Mass.). Kennedy was fouled and nearly scored on the alley-oop attempt, but only made one of his two free-throw attempts, making it a one-point game at 74-73. The Purple Knights left the door open as Greg Grippo missed one-of-two free throws with five seconds left to make it 75-73. Junior guard JT Strickland (Laurel, Md.) drove the length off the floor, but saw his floater go in-and-out at the buzzer, giving the Purple Knights the victory.
The second half began with each squad exchanging baskets, as Merrimack led 52-51 with 16:41 left in the game. The visitors would then score six-unanswered points to take a five-point lead, 57-52, with 12:46 left in regulation. The Purple Knights would not relinquish the lead until Merrimack went on its 11-0 run late in the game.
The contest began with the Purple Knights scoring 21 of the game's first 28 points over the 7:10 of action. Over a span of nearly three minutes, the Warriors went on an 11-3 spurt to make it a 24-18 game with 10:33 left in the first stanza. Travonne Berry-Rogers (Lynn, Mass.) hit back-to-back three-pointers during that stretch.
The team's would exchange baskets over the next seven minutes, before Solano put the Warriors on his back to end the first half. Trailing by nine points with 3:40 to go, Solano scored the next 13 points for the Warriors, including three straight three-pointers, to tie the game at 42-42. Freshman Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) capped off the run with a steal and layup to give the Warriors a 44-42 advantage.
Inside The Numbers
- Solano posted another strong game, scoring 30 points, including 20 in the first half. It is the second time this season that the junior has hit the 30-point plateau
- Kennedy batted foul trouble throughout the game, but still ended up with 11 points and five boards. Hammel finished with 17 points on six-of-15 shooting
- Berry-Rogers continues to play well as a reserve, scoring nine points in 26 minutes off the bench
- The Warriors struggled on the glass, with the Purple Knights holding an eight-board edge
- St. Michael's saw three players reach double figures, while Matt Bonds totaled 10 rebounds in only 18 minutes off the bench
Up Next
Merrimack plays in back-to-back games this weekend, as the Warriors play on Saturday against Wilmington at 3 p.m.
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