Balanced Offense Leads Men's Basketball to Season-Opening Win, 91-69, vs. Caldwell
Links: Box Score
WALTHAM, Mass. – Behind an offense that featured six different scorers in double figures, the Merrimack College men's basketball team won its season opener on Friday night, 91-69, over Caldwell University at the Bentley Tip-Off Classic hosted at the Dana Center in Waltham, Mass.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 91, Caldwell 69
Records: Merrimack (1-0) | Caldwell (0-1)
Location: Dana Center | Waltham, Mass.
What They Said
Head coach Bert Hammel: "It was good to get the first win of the season tonight. We did some things we liked and obviously shot well on the offensive end, but we need to clean some things up defensively. It's a good start to season, but we have more than a few areas to improve in moving forward."
How It Happened
The Warriors got off to a strong start, racing out to a 22-10 advantage over the first 7:33 before the Cougars called a timeout. Holding a 9-8 lead, Merrimack surged forward on a 13-2 run. In a span of under 90 seconds, freshman Ryan Boulter (Mansfield, Mass.) hit three consecutive three-pointers to make it a 18-10 game. Senior point JT Strickland (Laurel, Md.) hit a layup to end the run and prompt the Caldwell timeout.
Midway through the first half, sophomore Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) scored five straight point on a three-pointer and two free throws to make it 32-12. The Warriors led by 20 points as late as 5:26 remaining in the opening half, but the Cougars battled back to make it a 14-point margin, 47-33, at the end of the first half.
Boulter led the way for the Warriors with 12 first-half points. Senior guard Troy Hammel (Valencia, Calif.) contributed nine points as well. As a team, Merrimack shot over 62 percent from the field (15-for-24), including 6-of-8 from beyond the arc. Twenty-three of the Warriors' 47 first-half points came from their bench.
Caldwell started the second half by making it an 11-point game on multiple occasions, including at 53-42 with less than 16 minutes to play following a three-pointer from Billy McDonald. The Navy and Gold responded by going on an 8-2 run capped off by back-to-back jumpers from Anthony Barry (Uxbridge, Mass.). Howes hit another bucket with 9:59 to go in the game to push the lead to 16 points at 65-49.
With less than six minutes to play in the game, Preseason All-American Gelvis Solano (Harlem, N.Y.) hit two free throws to become the fourth Warrior to score in double figures. Dating back to last season, the senior guard extended his double-digit scoring streak to 11 games and has now reached double figures in 28 of his last 29 contests.
The Navy and Gold's lead reached as high as 25 points, as Hammel hit two three-pointers over the final four minutes to become the first Warrior to reach the 20-point plateau this season. Six Warriors finished with at least 10 points, with Strickland joining the group late in the second half. He also dished out 10 assist for his first double-double of the season.
Inside The Numbers
- Boulter could not have had a better start to his collegiate debut. The 6-foot-6-inch wing player stroked his first four three-pointers through the net, missing only one shot in the first half
- Solano finished with 10 points as the Warriors' leading returning scorer attempted only nine shots in the field. To put that in perspective, he only finished with single-digit shot attempts twice as a junior. He picked up his first double-double by snatching a team-high 10 rebounds, all of which came on the defensive glass
- After only doing it once last season, Strickland dished out 10 assists in the first game of his senior season. Friday marked the fifth time in his career that the fourth-year point guard has notched at least 10 helpers in a game
- After playing in only four games last season due to injury, Barry made a triumphant return to the lineup with 12 points on 5-of-10 from the field. Hammel scored 21 points in an efficient manner, making seven of his nine field-goal attempts including all three of his shots from beyond the arc
- Merrimack scored 90 points in the season opener after reaching that point on four occasions last season. As a team, the Warriors shot 56 percent from the field and an impressive 10-of-17 from beyond the arc
- Freshman Jordan Thornton (Dumfries, Va.) debuted as a rookie for the Warriors as well, finishing with four points and four rebounds. Fellow rookies Troy McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.) and Adrian Ibeh (Tewksbury, Mass.) saw their first career minutes late in the second half. McLaughlin scored on his lone field-goal attempt
Up Next
The Warriors wrap up play at the Bentley Tip-Off Classic tomorrow night when Merrimack plays Concordia (N.Y.). Tipoff from the Dana Center is set for 6 p.m.
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