Hammel Leads Men's Basketball to 85-71 Victory at Bridgeport Sunday Afternoon
Links: Box Score
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team ended the first half on a 23-6 run to turn a two-point deficit into a 15-point lead and never looked back, defeating the University of Bridgeport, 85-71, on Sunday afternoon from Hubbell Gymnasium in non-conference play.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 85, Bridgeport 71
Records: Merrimack (4-3) | Bridgeport (1-3)
Location: Hubbell Gymnasium| Bridgeport, Conn.
What They Said
Head coach Bert Hammel: "It was nice to get a win on the road against a tough team. They have some guys that can really score and I thought our defense contained them for most of the game. We also rebounded well as a team. I think we can still limit our turnovers, but those can happen in fast-paced games like the one today."
How It Happened
Hammel opted to make a change to the starting lineup, inserting freshman forward Jordan Thornton (Dumfries, Va.) into the first five. The moved paid off, as Thornton scored four of Merrimack's first eight points as part of a 8-3 Warriors run over the first 2:39 of the game.
The hosts battled back to make it a one-point game at the 13:18 mark of the opening half following two free throws from Montana Mayfield. The Purple Knights took their first lead three minutes later, 20-18, courtesy of a three-pointer from Jesse Jones.
The Navy and Gold responded with a 11-0 run that sparked a 23-6 finish for the Warriors over the final 10 minutes of the first half. Senior guard Gelvis Solano (Harlem, N.Y.) hit back-to-back triples to kick off the spurt, while classmate Troy Hammel (Valencia, Calif.) ended the 11 unanswered points with a trey of his own. Hammel finished the first half by leading Merrimack with 10 points, as the Warriors took a 41-26 lead into intermission.
In the second half, Merrimack's lead never dipped below 10 points. Over the first five minutes, the Warriors saw five different players score buckets, including three straight layups from Anthony Barry (Uxbridge, Mass.), JT Strickland (Laurel, Md.) and James Kennedy (Dorchester, Mass.). With 14:56 to play, the Warriors led by 14 points at 52-38.
The Purple Knights cut the deficit to 10 points on multiple occasions, but could never get Merrimack's advantage to dip into single digits. Sophomore Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) scored three of his season-high 14 points on a three-pointer with seven minutes to play to push the Warriors' lead to 16 points.
The victory secures Merrimack's fourth of the season, all of which have come in non-conference play, as Merrimack enters a run of four consecutive conference games with a record of 4-3.
Inside The Numbers
- Hammel played for all but three minutes on Sunday, notching his third 20-point game of the season, all of which have come on the road. His five three-pointers were a season high as well. As a junior, Hammel sunk at least five threes on five occasions
- After an All-Rookie campaign last season, Howes put forth his best effort of his sophomore year against the Purple Knights. He secured his second double-digit scoring effort of the year, making 6-of-8 from the field including two three-pointers
- Solano filled out the stat sheet, totaling 12 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, three blocks and three steals. The nine helpers set a new career high for the senior, who now has scored in double figures in every game this season
- Kennedy finished with a game-high 12 rebounds, the third time this season that the Warriors senior has recorded 12 boards on the season. The Navy and Gold are 3-0 when Kennedy snatches at least 10 caroms in a game
- That advantage on the glass led to the Warriors outscoring their hosts 18-2 in second-chance points
Up Next
The Warriors travel up to Colchester, Vt. on Wednesday night to take on Saint Michael's in Northeast-10 action at 7:30 p.m.
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