Second-Half Comeback Propels Men's Basketball to 74-72 Victory over Adelphi
Links: Box Score
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team trailed by as many as 17 points against the Adelphi University Panthers, but behind four players scoring in double figures, the Warriors came from behind to secure the victory, 74-72, from Long Island on Saturday afternoon.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 74 | Adelphi 72
Records: Merrimack (10-7, 5-7 NE-10) | Adelphi (4-14, 1-11 NE-10)
Location: Center for Recreation and Sport | Garden City, N.Y.
How It Happened
Over the first four minutes of the game, the Warriors and the Panthers went back-and-forth as a JT Strickland (Laurel, Md.) layup made it a 10-9 game in favor of Adelphi. A Tyler Hunt (Oswego, N.Y.) layup made it 16-13 in favor of the Panthers, but Adelphi ripped off five straight points to make it 21-13 with 11:43 to go.
Adelphi built its first double-digit lead of the half at 25-15 with 9:44 to go. With the score 28-18 with nine minute left In the half, Adelphi scored eight of the next 11 points of the game, building a 15-point lead, 36-21, with 7:36 left.
Like a heavyweight bout, Merrimack answered with a couple punches of its own. The Warriors went on a 14-3 run over the next 6:21 to make it's a 39-35 game with less than two minutes remaining in the first half. Junior guard Gelvis Solano (Harlem, N.Y.) scored eight points over that stretch including back-to-back three points. Strickland converted a three-point play to provide Merrimack added momentum.
The Warriors entered halftime trailing by just five points after trailing by as many as 17 over the first 20 minutes. Junior guard Troy Hammel (Valencia, Calif.) led the Warriors with 11 first-half points. Freshman Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) contributed seven points, all of which came within the first eight minutes of the game.
The first three minutes of the second half saw the Panthers build a 10-point lead at 51-41, before a jumper from Howes cut Adelphi's lead to eight points. That bucket started a stretch of 10 unanswered points for the Warriors, tying the game at 51-51 with 13:47 to play. Adelphi would rebound to take a 59-54 lead and called a timeout with less than 12 minutes to play.
Out of that timeout, Merrimack scored six straight points to take its first lead since the contest was 4-3 in the early minutes of the game. Senior Travonne Berry-Rogers (Lynn, Mass.) scored the layup that gave Merrimack the lead with 10:27 remaining. That shot was part of a prolonged 19-0 run over a span of nearly six minutes, pacing the Warriors to a 70-59 lead. During that stretch Howes scored his 17th point of the game, tying his career high.
Adelphi would not go away though. Merrimack would only score four points over the final 6:53 of the game, allowing the Panthers to go on a 13-4 run. With the Warriors leading 74-71 with 15 seconds to play, the Navy and Gold turned the ball over and on the ensuing break, Howes committed an intentional foul on the Panther's Duane Morgan. That meant Adelphi got two free throws and possession of the basketball with 10.4 remaining. Morgan would go one-of-two from the line, but Ryan DeNicola missed an 18-foot jumper that would've sent the game to overtime, allowing Merrimack to walk away with a 74-72 win.
The Warriors are now 5-1 in the month of January and 7-1 over their last eight games. They improve to 5-7 in the NE-10, defeating their fourth team out of the Southwest Division.
Inside The Numbers
- The combination of Howes, Strickland, Hammel and Solano scored 64 of Merrimack's 73 points. The Warriors only got six bench points and the fifth starter, James Kennedy (Dorchester, Mass.) contributed five points and six rebounds
- Howes tied his career high of 17 points, which also led the team. It is only the second time this year that someone not named Hammel or Solano led the Warriors in scoring. He shot six-of-11 from the field and added nine rebounds. It is the first time in five games that Howes has scored in double figures and the sixth time this year that the rookie has scored in double digits.
- Strickland produced one of his best shooting games of the season. Over 37 minutes, the junior point guard totaled 16 points on seven-of-11 from the field. It is only the second time in the last 11 games that the third-year player has finished over 50 percent from the field
- After seeing their own double-digit first-half deficit erased in a loss to AIC on Saturday, Merrimack erased a 17-point first-half deficit against the Panthers
- Head coach Bert Hammel collects his 10th victory this season, making it 31 out of 35 seasons at the helm of the Warriors that Hammel has totaled at least 10 victories in a season
Up Next
The Warriors continue their road swing against Southern Connecticut State on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. The Owls had been ranked in top-25 for most of the season, but recently were dropped from the rankings. SCSU is coming off a season that saw them win the NE-10 and advance all the way to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The Owls were picked as the preseason favorites in the Southwest Division.
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