Hayes Records Triple-Double as Men's Basketball Dispatches Concordia (N.Y.) Sunday, 95-81
Links: Box Score | Game Highlights | Juvaris Hayes Interview
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Freshman point guard Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, N.J.) continued the red-hot start to his career with a triple-double on Sunday afternoon, totaling 22 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds as the Merrimack College men's basketball team powered past the visiting Concordia (N.Y.) College Clippers, 95-81, in a non-conference contest from Hammel Court. The Warriors improved to 5-1 on the season, the program's best start since the 2008-09 campaign.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 95, Concordia (N.Y.) 81
Records: Merrimack (5-1) | Concordia (N.Y.) (1-6)
Location: North Andover, Mass. | Hammel Court
How It Happened
- Merrimack started the game on a 10-0 run that featured seven points from graduate forward Anthony Barry (Uxbridge, Mass.) and a triple from sophomore Ryan Boulter (Mansfield, Mass.). The Clippers answered with a 10-0 spurt of their own, however, to tie the game at 10-all with 14:20 on the clock
- After a tip-in from freshman Jaleel Lord (Jersey City, N.J.) put Merrimack in front, 19-17, the visitors went on a 8-0 spurt to take their first lead with 9:30 remaining, 25-19
- The lead grew to as large as nine before the Warriors chipped away. With the deficit at five, Merrimack scored six unanswered featuring points from Hayes and sophomore Troy McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.) to take the lead back, 37-36.
- McLaughlin and freshman Devon Moore (Hanover, Pa.) hit treys over the final 3:21 of the half to surge ahead and take a 46-43 lead into halftime
- Junior Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.), Hayes and McLaughlin triggered a 7-0 spurt over the first 1:09 of the second stanza to turn a three-point game into a 10-point lead, 53-43
- Four minutes later, the Clippers pulled within two at 55-53, but Concordia never led in the second half. Hayes responded with a right-wing triple that started an 8-0 run that ended with Moore's second 3-pointer of the day
- At the midway point of the second half, Howes energized the crowd by collecting his own miss and converting a three-point play to push the advantage to double digits, 74-64, with 9:58 remaining
- Sophomore Jordan Thornton (Harrisburg, Pa.) hit his lone field goal of the game with under four minutes to play and Boulter added Merrimack's seventh triple of the second half to add the finishing touches on the victory. The 14-point win marked the second largest margin of victory this season for the Warriors, while the 95 points were a season high
Inside The Numbers
- After posting a 22-point, six-assist, five-rebound and five-steal effort to begin the week, Hayes capped off Merrimack's fourth straight win with his first-ever triple double. The 22 points matched his season high from Tuesday, while the 12 assists and 11 rebounds were both personal bests
- The reigning NE-10 Rookie of the Week now boasts averages of 14.2 points, 7.2 assists and 6.7 rebounds per game, ranking second in the conference in helpers
- Hayes also became the fourth different Warrior to lead the team in scoring through six games
- Six different Warriors finished in double figures, the most in a game this season. Barry finished with 15 after leading the team in scoring in the first half. Howes totaled a season high with 14 while Lord contributed 14 as well. Boulter and McLaughlin notched 11 points each
- The 5-1 start matches the start the 2008-09 squad had eight years ago. That team finished the season with 21 wins and advanced to the NCAA Tournament
- Finishing with 12 makes from beyond the arc, the Navy and Gold fell two 3-pointers shy of their season high (14)
- Field Goals (%): MER 32-65 (49.2) // CON 28-59 (47.5)
- 3-Point Field Goals (%): MER 12-30 (40.0) // CON 6-20 (30.0)
Up Next
The Navy and Gold return to Hammel Court on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. to face Saint Michael's in the squad's first Northeast-10 home game of the season. Any student who attends the game in their Midnight Madness t-shirt who receive a complimentary headband courtesy of the Athletics Department.
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