Men's Basketball Suffers Fourth Consecutive Loss, 86-79, Against Bentley
Links: Box Score
WALTHAM, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team led by three points with less than five minutes remaining in the game, but the Bentley University Falcons ended the game on a 10-0 run to defeat the Warriors, 86-79, on Wednesday night.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 79 | Bentley 86
Records: Merrimack (2-4, 0-4 NE-10) | Bentley (3-4, 1-3 NE-10)
Location: Dana Center | Waltham, Mass.
What They Said
Head coach Bert Hammel: "That was another tough one. We battled and competed, but didn't make plays down the stretch, while they did. We have to tighten up on the defensive end of the floor in close games and that's when we'll win the close ones, with defense."
How It Happened
The Warriors have held a lead in the second half in every game to begin the season, but over the last four games the Navy and Gold have not been until to maintain the advantage through the end of the each contest.
With 4:16 remaining in the game, junior guard Troy Hammel (Valencia, Calif.) scored his career-high 26th point to give the Warriors a 79-76 advantage. From that point on, the Warriors went ice cold from the field, missing their final six field-goal attempts of the game. The Falcons took advantage, ending the game on a 10-0 run, handing Merrimack its fourth straight defeat.
Prior to that point, a Gelvis Solano (Harlem, N.Y.) dunk at the 10:19 mark gave the Navy and Gold a 63-62 lead, its first since scoring the first field goal of the second half at. The Warriors led for the next nine minutes of the game, by as many as seven points at 72-65, before Bentley took over with 1:25 remaining in the game.
The second half began with a Solano layup, but the Falcons answered with an Andrew Shaw layup, and did not relinquish the lead over the next eight-plus minutes of the second stanza.
The game started out with neither team leading by more than five points over the first 13:34 of the game. The Warriors took their first lead of the game at 11-10 when freshman Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) drilled a three-pointer 6:11 into the contest.
With Bentley leading 26-24 at the 5:06 mark of the first stanza, the Falcons went the longest run of the half by either side, seven unanswered points, to take a 33-24 advantage. The home team led 34-28 when the Warriors scored six straight points, four of which came from Hammel, to tie the score. The teams exchanged buckets the rest of the way, with Bentley entering the half with the lead.
Junior forward James Kennedy (Dorchester, Mass.) was a force for the Warriors on the block, scoring 14 first-half points. It was not enough for Merrimack though, as for the sixth time in six games to begin the season, the Warriors trailed at halftime by one point, 40-39.
Inside The Numbers
- Career nights: Both Hammel (26) and Kennedy (18) totaled career highs in points. Hammel scored 19 of his 26 in the second half, shooting eight-for-18 in the game and five-for-nine from three-point range. Kennedy shot nine-of-13 from the field, including an efficient seven-for-eight in the first half
- Solano totaled 16 points, nine rebounds and six assist. It took him 24 field-goal attempts to reach 16 points, including only one-for-10 from three-point range.
- Junior guard JT Strickland (Laurel, Md.) chipped in 16 points, the fourth Warrior to finish in double figures
- All 79 of Merrimack's points came from its starting five, whereas Bentley's bench players contributed 20 points
- The Navy and Gold only turned the ball over 12 times, compared to 20 giveaways for the Falcons
Up Next
Merrimack continues its three-game week on Saturday when the Warriors travel to Assumption to play the Greyhounds at 3:30 p.m.
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