Men's Basketball Endures Setback vs. SCSU, 92-85
Links: Box Score
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – At one point in the second half the Merrimack College men's basketball team led by as many as 10 points against Southern Connecticut, but the Owls, the leaders in the Southwest Division, executed a second-half comeback to come away with the 92-85 victory from Moore Field House on Monday night.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 85 | Southern CT 92
Records: Merrimack (13-10, 8-10 NE-10) | Southern CT (20-5, 14-3 NE-10)
Location: Moore Field House | New Haven, Conn.
Northeast-10 Postseason Outlook
The only game to take place within the conference on Monday night, the Owls took advantage of the late cross-divisional game as the two programs finally were able to play after seeing the game postponed twice due to inclement weather. Merrimack now sits two games back of Bentley for the fifth and final playoff spot in the division with three games left in the regular season.
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, 8-10)
8) Assumption (8-15, 5-13)
How It Happened
This matchup, pitting two of the top offenses in the Northeast-10 Conference, certainly lived up to the hype. The game started off well for the Warriors, with JT Strickland (Laurel, Md.) hitting a three-pointer at the 16:31 mark to give his team a five-point lead, 11-6. Last season the Warriors gave the Owls a difficult game, as Merrimack only trailed by one at the half a year ago when Southern CT was the No. 20 team in the nation.
With 14:19 to go in the opening stanza, the Warriors would begin a scoreless stretch of nearly four minutes, allowing the Owls' high-powered offense to go on an 11-0 run and take a 20-15 lead with 10:38 left in the half. The Warriors would answer quickly though, as a Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) three-pointer pushed Merrimack ahead at 23-22.
An 8-0 Merrimack run with less than 10 minutes to go in the half would put Merrimack's lead at nine points, 33-24. Strickland hit a layup after getting a steal to cap off the spurt. Luke Houston scored his 14th point of the game with less than five minutes to play to make it a one-possession game at 35-33. The Navy and Gold did not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the half, but never saw it get greater than five points, taking a 50-47 advantage into halftime. Junior guard Gelvis Solano (Harlem, N.Y.) had himself quite the opening stanza, totaling 23 points on 8-of-14 from the field.
After the Owls scored the first basket of the second half, Merrimack answered by going on a 9-0 run to take an 10-point lead. Solano scored the first bucket of the run, a three-pointer, and forward James Kennedy (Dorchester, Mass.) totaled four points during that stretch to join Solano and Strickland in double figures.
Southern Connecticut battled back within six points after a Luke Houston three-pointer to make it 63-57 with 13:27 left. Three minutes later, Strickland hit a layup to join Solano with at least 20 points and give the Warriors a 70-66 lead. With 7:30 to play, Solano slammed home a dunk and the Warriors still led by four points.
At that point, the Owls began to embark on their comeback. Southern CT went on a 7-0 run to take an 80-77 lead after two free throws from Tylon Smith. A pair of free throws from Solano would bring it back to a one-point game, but then the Owls scored the next seven points to put the game out of reach at 87-79 following a three-pointer by Michael Mallory.
The Warriors got as close as five points in the final two minutes, but the Owls used their championship pedigree down the stretch, preventing Merrimack from getting any closer. Southern CT held on for the seven-point win.
Inside The Number
- Solano finished the game with 33 points on 11-of-24 from the field including seven three-pointers. He also added seven rebounds. Solano now has scored at least 30 points in a game seven times this season
- Strickland finished the game one point shy of tying his season and career high (21). The third part of Merrimack's triple threat in the backcourt, Troy Hammel (Valencia, Calif.), scored only five points on 1-for-5 from the field and 3-of-5 from the free-throw line
- Kennedy was effective in the paint, posting a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. It is the third time this season that the transfer student has doubled up in points and boards. It is also the ninth time this season that he has scored in double figures
- Southern Connecticut's offense came into the game averaging the fifth most points per game in the country and it certainly didn't disappoint. Four players finished in double figures, led by Luke Houston's 28 points. Houston and teammate Desmond Williams each had double-doubles
- The game may have been won and lost in the points off turnovers. The Owls turned 15 Warriors' turnovers into 24 points, while Merrimack only scored six points off of 11 Southern Connecticut miscues
Up Next
On Wednesday, Merrimack will play in its second game of the week and conclude a stretch of games that sees the Warriors play three times in a span of five days when the Navy and Gold take on Saint Anselm. Tipoff from Manchester is set for 7:30 p.m.
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