Men's Basketball Outlasts Southern NH, 85-73, to Complete Season Sweep
MANCHESTER, N.H. - The Merrimack College men's basketball team completed its season sweep of the Northeast-Division leading Southern New Hampshire Penmen, 85-73, earlier today from the SNHU Fieldhouse. Merrimack beat the Penmen by 11 points earlier in the year at Hammel Court.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 85 | Southern NH 73
Records: Merrimack (11-9, 6-9 NE-10) | Southern NH (14-6, 12-4 NE-10)
Location: SNHU Fieldhouse | Manchester, N.H.
NE-10 Postseason Outlook
The Warriors are currently on the outside looking in on the postseason picture in the Northeast Division. Merrimack needs to finish among the top-five teams in the division to advance to the Northeast-10 Conference Championship.
1) Southern NH (14-6, 12-4)
2) Saint Michael's (15-6, 11-5)
3) Saint Anselm (14-6, 11-5)
4) Stonehill (15-7, 10-6)
5) Bentley (14-8, 9-7)
6) Franklin Pierce (13-9, 8-7)
7) Merrimack (11-9, 6-9)
8) Assumption (8-13, 5-11)
How It Happened
The Warriors entered the game looking for a season sweep of the Penmen, as Merrimack took down Southern NH, 95-84, back during the first week of January. That victory was the Navy and Gold's lone divisional win entering the day.
The Warriors started off the game strong with back-to-back three points from junior guard Troy Hammel (Valencia, Calif.), which was followed by a steal and highlight-reel dunk from Gelvis Solano (Harlem, N.Y.). After slam, the Penmen used their first timeout trailing by five points, 8-3, with 17:40 left in the half.
Out of the timeout, SNHU used a 6-0 spurt to take its first lead of the game at 9-8. Senior Travonne Berry-Rogers (Lynn, Mass.) got the lead back with a layup on Merrimack's next possession. After that shot, SNHU scored four unanswered to grab the lead back at 13-10.
The teams would exchange baskets over the next few minutes, until Merrimack went on a 7-0 run capped off by a Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) three-pointer to make it 20-15 Merrimack with 7:37 left in the half. The Penmen, proving why they entered the game leading the division, responded with five points in a row to tie the game at 20 with 6:35 remaining in the half.
After Merrimack took a timeout with 6:16 to play, Hammel back consecutive three pointers to give him 16 points for the half. As they had throughout the half, SNHU was able to counter with five unanswered points to take a 29-28 advantage with 2:55 to play in the half. A three-pointer from Devin Gilligan gave SNHU a two-point lead with 50 seconds to play, but James Kennedy (Dorchester, Mass.) hit two free throws to make it a tied contest entering halftime.
Merrimack came out strong in the second half, scoring the first nine points of the half to take a 43-34 advantage. The final seven points of that run came courtesy of the right-handed shot of Solano. The Penmen battled back, however, as Gilligan hit a three with 15:04 to play to make it a 45-42 contest.
After that shot, Merrimack raced on an 8-2 run to take a 53-44 run. Solano hits two threes and Hammel converted a layup to account for the scoring for Merrimack. With 11:13 left in the half, Howes drained a wide-open three from the right-wing to push the lead to double digits at 62-52.
At the 6:39 mark, Kennedy entered double figures with 11 points as the Warriors took a 70-62 lead. The clocked ticked under five minutes remaining with Merrimack clinging to a six-point lead. A Berry-Rogers three-pointer made it an 11-point game, 77-66, with 3:33 to play. With 1:55 left in the game, Kennedy picked up his 10th rebound to record a double-double.
Over the final two minutes, Strickland and Solano combined to hit four-of-six from the charity stripe. The Warriors called a timeout with 36 seconds to play after two free throws from SNHU made it 81-73, but Merrimack had the game in hand, winning 85-73.
Inside The Numbers
- Merrimack has now won four consecutive games at the SNHU Fieldhouse, and owns two divisional wins, both of which have come against the leading Penmen
- After scoring 16 first-half points, Hammel only scored four in the second stanza. His production was picked up by Solano, who finished with a team-high 24, including 15 in the second half
- Three players finished in double figures in addition to Hammel and Solano. Kennedy totaled 13, while Strickland and Howes combined for 23 of their own
- The Warriors won the game from beyond the arc, shooting 55 percent from three (12-of-22). Merrimack also went 21-of-24 from the charity stripe
Up Next
Merrimack will return to Hammel Court on Tuesday for a must-win divisional game against Bentley University at 7:30 p.m.
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