Men's Basketball Notches First NE-10 Win, 95-84, vs. SNHU; Hammel Honored for 500th Victory
Links: Box Score | Bert Hammel Interview | Troy Hammel Interview | Photos
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team raced out to a 22-point halftime advantage against the Southern New Hampshire Penmen and never looked back, as the Warriors captured their first Northeast-10 Conference victory of the season. Before the game, head coach Bert Hammel was honored with a pregame ceremony celebrating his 500th career victory, which he captured in Merrimack's previous game against Bloomfield College
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 95 | SNHU 84
Records: Merrimack (6-6, 1-6 NE-10) | SNHU (7-4, 6-2 NE-10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
What They Said
Head coach Bert Hammel (on the ceremony): "It was very humbling, I love what I do and my family has been fantastic and so supportive. Merrimack College gave me the opportunity 35 years ago and I am so ever grateful for the leadership that they have shown. When you look at [Director of Athletics] Jeremy Gibson as my boss, they give me the opportunity to coach and have a profession that I absolutely love."
Hammel (on the game): "It's been a long time coming, with the injuries and new people adjusting to each other, but bottom line it was a great win against a very good Southern New Hampshire team. We relied on our defense to create some offense for us, especially in the first half. Overall, they never got it below 10 in the second half. Nice to see a little bit of a three-game winning streak.
How It Happened
Prior to tipoff, Bert Hammel was joined by Merrimack College Director of Athletics Jeremy Gibson to honor Hammel's milestone of reaching 500 victories, all of which have come at the helm of the Warriors. The crowd gave Hammel a standing ovation, with every member of the team embracing him when he returned to the sideline.
Merrimack certainly took the momentum of the ceremony into the start of the game, as the Warriors doubled up the Penmen, 24-12, less than seven minutes into the first half. At the midway point of the first stanza, the Warriors led 30-15.
Merrimack ended the first half on a 10-2 run, with junior guard Troy Hammel (Valencia, Calif.) totaling six of those 10 points. Three Warriors scored in double digits in the first half. Troy Hammel, Bert's nephew, totaled 11 points. Junior Gelvis Solano (Harlem, N.Y.) posted a game-high 14 first-half points, while freshman Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) tallied 10 points of his own.
In the second half, Solano picked up his third and fourth fouls within the first three minutes, and the Warriors were forced to play without their leading scorer for the majority of the second half. The Navy and Gold turned to the leadership of Troy Hammel, who scored 12 second-half points, including eight-for-eight from the free-throw line. Junior forward James Kennedy (Dorchester, Mass.) contributed nine points and five rebounds in the second half.
Merrimack led the entire way, with SNHU never coming closer than 10 points in the second half. Troy Hammel finished with a team-high 23 points, including a perfect 12-of-12 from the charity stripe.
Inside The Numbers
- The Warriors shot over 50 percent for the second consecutive game and accomplish that feat for the first time in conference play
- Troy Hammel's 12 free throws eclipses the career high that he set last season against the Penmen (11). He eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the third time this season and in the second consecutive game
- Solano may have fouled out in this one and played sparingly in the second half, but he still totaled 22 points in only 23 minutes
- Sophomore Riley Calzonetti (Neptune City, N.J.) posted a career high six points, including an athletic three-point play in the first half.
- The Warriors set season highs in both free-throws made (27) and free-throw attempts (35)
Up Next
The Warriors return to action on Wednesday night in North Andover, as Pace University comes to town for a conference matchup. Single-game tickets can be purchased at this link. Merrimack basketball games are general-admission seating events.
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For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.
