Men's Basketball Captures Third Straight Win with 21-Point Blowout of Assumption
Links: Box Score | Gelvis Solano Interview | James Kennedy Interview
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team keeps on winning as the Warriors defeated Assumption College by 21 points to win their third straight and ninth game over the last 12 contests. The Warriors still sit in seventh place in the Northeast Division, 1.5 games out of a playoff spot, with four games remaining in the regular season
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 78 | Assumption 57
Records: Merrimack (13-9, 8-9 NE-10) | Assumption (8-14, 5-12 NE-10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
What They Said
Head coach Bert Hammel: "The team has been playing really well, especially on the defensive end. We've started to lock in as a team on that end of the floor. I was impressed with the rebounding effort today, if we get stops and rebound, that leads to our offense getting on the break and putting up points."
NE-10 Postseason Outlook
After today's action in the Northeast-10 Conference, the Warriors still sit 0.5 game out of sixth place and 1.5 games out of fifth place, with the top-five teams in division advancing to the postseason. Franklin Pierce topped Saint Anselm by 12 points and Bentley edged Saint Michael's, 77-76, to keep the Warriors at bay. Merrimack will have a chance to gain 0.5 game on both the Ravens and Falcons when the Navy and Gold play Southern Connecticut on Monday.
1) Southern NH (16-6, 14-4)
2) Saint Anselm (15-7, 12-6)
3) Stonehill (16-8, 11-7)
4) Saint Michael's (15-8, 11-7)
5) Bentley (15-9, 10-8)
6) Franklin Pierce (14-11, 9-9)
7) Merrimack (13-9, 8-9)
8) Assumption (8-15, 5-13)
How It Happened
Junior guard Gelvis Solano (Harlem, N.Y.) got Merrimack going over the first 4:11 of the game, scoring nine points as Merrimack led, 11-6, less than five minutes into the contest. Assumption would tighten up defensively thought, as it took the Warriors until the 7:52 mark of the opening half to reach 20 points. Jt Strickland (Laurel, Md.) hit two free throws to make it 20-15 with less than eight minutes to play.
A Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) three-pointer with 5:45 to go made it 26-19 in favor of the Navy and Gold. The Greyhounds scored five unanswered points though to make it 26-24 with less than four minutes to play. Despite Assumption coming within one-possession on multiple occasions, the Warriors never seceded the lead in the final four minutes of the half, leading 33-29 at halftime.
Merrimack led despite only shooting 33.3 percent from the field over the first 20 minutes, with Solano only going three-of-nine from the field, but in the second half the offense found its rhythm. With the score 36-34 after two Marcus Murray free throws for Assumption, the Warriors scored six straight points, with four of the six coming from the right-handed shot of Strickland. Murray then made a jumper to make it 42-37 with 15:51 to play.
That Greyhounds' bucket was the last points they would score for a span that lasted nearly five minutes. The Navy and Gold defense forced the Greyhounds into three missed shots and five turnovers over that span as Merrimack went on an 8-0 run to break the game open at 50-37 with 12:31 to go.
After that point, the lead for Merrimack never dipped below 10 points. Merrimack shot 48.6 percent from the field in the second, including nine-of-18 from three-point range. Solano scored 13 points in the second on five-for-nine shooting over the final 20 points, while Strickland added 10 points in the second stanza. Merrimack outrebounded Assumption by seven boards in the second half.
Inside The Numbers
- Solano posted one of his most well-rounded lines of the year, with 26 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals. After starting the game three-for-11, he hit five of his final seven shots in 36 minutes from the floor
- Forward James Kennedy (Dorchester, Mass.) continues to make a strong impact in the interior for Merrimack. He finished with 11 points and nine rebounds over 27 minutes for the Navy and Gold, finishing one board shy of a double-double
- Strickland is now averaging 15 points over his last three games. Merrimack won despite seeing Troy Hammel (Valencia, Calif.) snap his 14-game streak of scoring in double figures. Hammel also played in a season-low 29 minutes
- Merrimack was able to play to its strengths and get out on the fast break. The Warriors totaled 13 fast-break points while forcing the Greyhounds into 19 turnovers
Up Next
Merrimack returns to the court in less than 48 hours when the Warriors play in their final cross divisional matchup against Southern Connecticut. The game was originally scheduled for January 27, but has been postponed twice since then due to inclement weather. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m from New Haven, Conn.
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