Kennedy Shines Again as Men's Basketball Takes Down Saint Rose Wednesday, 87-70
Links: Highlights | Box Score | James Kennedy Interview
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Senior forward James Kennedy (Dorchester, Mass.) posted his second consecutive double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Merrimack College men's basketball team to a 87-70 victory over the College of Saint Rose from Hammel Court on Wednesday evening.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 87, Saint Rose 70
Records: Merrimack (10-8, 5-7 NE-10) | Saint Rose (7-10, 5-6 NE-10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
What They Said
Head coach Bert Hammel: "James is showing the ability to be a force in the paint, with three double-doubles this month. I think the team is jumping on his shoulders, and he's not just rebounding but he's getting tough rebounds in traffic. He's giving us a lot of energy and the team is following suit."
How It Happened
The Warriors built a 10-2 lead over the first 6:04 of action despite starting the game just 2-of-12 from the field. Sophomore guard Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) came off the bench to score five straight points as the Warriors lead sat at seven points with under 13 minutes left in the opening half.
Consecutive three-pointers from Gelvis Solano (Harlem, N.Y.) and Troy Hammel (Valencia, Calif.) followed by Kennedy's second bucket of the game made it a 15-point game, 28-13, marking Merrimack's largest lead of the half. Over the final five minutes of the opening stanza, freshman Ryan Boulter (Mansfield, Mass.) scored five points and Kennedy put in Merrimack's final field goal of the half, a second-chance opportunity, to give the hosts a 35-23 lead at the intermission.
Kennedy led all players with 10 first-half points, to go along with five rebounds, three of which were on the offensive glass. Boulter and Howes combined for 10 points off the bench as well.
The Golden Knights hung with the Warriors to start the second half. Back-to-back jumpers from Mical-Ryan Boyd cut the deficit to eight points, 42-34, with 16:03 to play. Five minutes later Boyd hit a triple to make it 52-45 Merrimack, but from there the Warriors went on an 8-0 run spurred by consecutive treys from Hammel and concluded with a layup from Kennedy, who missed the ensuing free throw after he was fouled making the bucket.
With the score at 60-50, Kennedy started another 7-0 spurt with a lay-in off a pretty feed inside from Solano. Forward Anthony Barry (Uxbridge, Mass.) scored the final five points of that stretch, including a three-point play with 8:13 on the clock.
From there, Merrimack's lead never dipped below 15 points. Freshman Troy McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.) came on in the final three minutes to hit a 16-foot jumper while senior JT Strickland (Laurel, Md.) joined the fray with a right-wing three-pointer. Kennedy pulled down his last board with 1:58 remaining, capping off his fifth straight game with at least 10 caroms.
Inside The Numbers
- Over his last five games, the Boston University transfer is averaging 11 points and 14 rebounds per game. Including his 13-point, seven-board performance against Assumption to begin the month, Kennedy has posted 10.8 ppg and 12.8 rpg during the month of January
- Three other players joined Kennedy in double figures, with Barry tying for the team high with 17 points. Hammel chipped in 15 including a trio of three-pointers and Solano posted a solid line of 13 points, five assists and four rebounds
- Merrimack shot 49 percent from the field and hit nine three-pointers, connecting on 42.9 percent of their attempts from distance. Five different players connected on three-pointer for the Navy and Gold
- Kennedy picked up five of Merrimack's 11 offensive rebounds, as the Warriors won the battle on the glass, which led to an eight-point advantage in second-chance points (16-8)
Up Next
Merrimack wraps up a two-game week at home when the Warriors take on Adelphi University at 3 p.m. from Hammel Court.
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