Kennedy Posts Career Performance, Men's Basketball Downs Le Moyne, 80-65
Links: Box Score
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Senior forward James Kennedy (Dorchester, Mass.) set a new season high with 17 points and established a new career high with 18 rebounds as the Merrimack College men's basketball team defeated the Le Moyne College Dolphins by 15 points on Saturday afternoon from Ted Grant Court.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 80, Le Moyne 65
Records: Merrimack (9-8, 4-7 NE-10) | Le Moyne (5-10, 3-7 NE-10)
Location: Ted Grant Court | Syracuse, N.Y.
What They Said
Head coach Bert Hammel: "After the last couple of games, we're very pleased to get a road, league win today which are very hard to come by. I thought we set the tone early, with James' performance standing out for us today. This is the style of play we need to establish moving forward if we want to rise in the standings."
How It Happened
Ovet the first 4:44 of the opening half, the Warriors built a five-point advantage at 11-6. Senior point guard JT Strickland (Laurel, Md.) got out on the fast break during the stretch for an easy lay-in, while Kennedy started his career day by displaying some range with a 16-foot baseline jumper.
With less than ten minutes to play in the half, Kennedy found himself all alone on the block for an easy lay-in to give Merrimack the lead back, 20-19, after Le Moyne had taken its first advantage of the day. The make started a 10-0 by the Navy and Gold, capped off by a lefty layup for Gelvis Solano (Harlem, N.Y.) to make it 28-19 Merrimack with 5:24 remaining in the first half.
Kennedy continued his strong half with a free-throw line jumper with 3:10 on the clock, prompting Le Moyne to burn a timeout. With under a minute to play, freshman Troy McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.) stepped into an 18-footer for Merrimack's final points of the half as the Warriors took a 37-31 advantage into intermission. Strickland, Solano and Kennedy all finished the half in double figures.
Over the first seven minutes of the second half, the Warriors lead never dipped below six points. With Merrimack leading 51-45, the Warriors went on a 9-0 run started by a three-point play from Strickland and it was a 15-point game with only 10 minutes remaining.
With seven minutes to play, Kennedy snatched his 16th rebound of the game, setting a new career high after he had established a new season high with 15 points earlier in the second half. He added one more bucket to end the game with 17 points, leading the Warriors to their fourth league win of the season.
Inside The Numbers
- Fourteen of Kennedy's career-high 18 boards came on the defensive glass. He shot an impressive 8-of-11 from the field, making all but three of his attempts
- Solano led all scorers with 21 points, as four Warriors finished in double figures. The team's leading scorer shot 50 percent from the field after making only 7-of-37 over his previous two games
- Senior shooting guard Troy Hammel (Valencia, Calif.) added a pair of threes while Strickland contributed 18 points for the Warriors. The latter has scored in double figures in eight straight games and 15 of his last 16 contests
- The Warriors shot 50 percent from the field, while holding the Dolphins to less than 40 percent overall and 30 percent from beyond the arc
Up Next
Merrimack hosts the College of Saint Rose on Wednesday night at Hammel Court beginning at 7:30 p.m., which is the start of a stretch that sees the Warriors play four of the next five contests at home.
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