Stonehill Surges Past Men's Basketball, 97-76; Strickland Scores 1,000th Career Point
Links: Highlights | Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team returned to Northeast-10 play on Tuesday night, falling to the Stonehill Skyhawks by a 97-76 score. The highlight of the night came in the first half when senior point guard JT Strickland (Laurel, Md.) sunk two free throws to become the 41st player in program history to score 1,000 career points.
The Basics
Score: Stonehill 97, Merrimack 76
Records: Merrimack (3-3, 0-2 NE-10) | Stonehill (4-1, 2-1 NE-10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
How It Happened
Through the first 10 minutes of the opening half Merrimack started cold from the field, hitting just one of its first 14 shots. The Skyhawks took advantage, jumping out to an 18-4 advantage. Senior guard Troy Hammel (Valencia, Calif.) halted the run with a triple at the 10:53 mark, but Stonehill led by 11 at the midway point of the opening stanza.
With five points through the first 13 minutes of the game, Strickland stepped to the free-throw line with 7:03 remaining the half and two points from 1,000. His second attempt went straight through the net as he joined teammate Gelvis Solano (Harlem, N.Y.) and 40 others in the Merrimack 1,000-point club.
With the Skyhawks holding a 10-point lead with less than three minutes to go in the half, the Warriors embarked on a 9-2 spurt to make it a three-point game. Strickland started the run with a couple of free throws, before Solano scored seven unanswered points. The run was capped off by a highlight-reel alley-oop, that started with a steal by Solano, who then dished to Strickland and sprinted the length of the court to finish the lofted pass from his classmate.
The visitors held a 44-40 lead entering the second half, but raced away from the Navy and Gold from there. Stonehill started the half on a 12-4 run, with four of its first five field goals coming from beyond the arc. The lead got as large as 22 points midway through the second stanza after a triple from freshman Jimmy Walsh.
Stonehill finished three points shy of the century mark, shotting over 60 percent from the field and hitting 15 three-pointers. Four Warriors scored in double figures, led by 25 points from Solano.
Inside The Numbers
- Strickland posted a well-rounded line, finishing with 11 points, eight assists and six rebounds. The point guard leads the team and is among the NE-10 leaders with 34 total assists through six games. He now has 1,004 career points in 87 career games
- Solano now has scored in double figures in all six games this season and 16 consecutive games dating back to last season. Hammel joined his classmates in double figures with 16 points, draining two three-pointers and five field goals overall
- Anthony Barry (Uxbridge, Mass.) finished with 14 points, picking up his four game in double digits this season. Merrimack's starting lineup combined for 72 of its 76 points on the night
- The Skyhawks had four players finish in double figures, led by freshman Jimmy Walsh's 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 5-of-6 from three-point range
- Point guard Carter Smith compiled a double-double with 10 points and 13 helpers, as the visitors assisted on 25 of 35 field goals
Up Next
The Warriors step away from league action on Sunday afternoon when Merrimack travels to Connecticut to take on the University of Bridgeport at 2 p.m.
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