Men's Basketball Outlasts Assumption, 70-55
Links: Box Score | JT Strickland Interview
WORCESTER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team limited the Assumption College Greyhounds to 16 second-half points, pulling away with a 70-55 victory on Wednesday evening from Laska Gymnasium.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 70, Assumption 55
Records: Merrimack (14-11, 9-10 NE-10) | Assumption (6-18, 2-17 NE-10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
NE-10 Postseason Outlook:
The top five teams in the Northeast Division advance to the NE-10 Championship, with the fifth seed playing the fourth seed out of the Southwest in the opening round.
1) Bentley (14-4)
2) Saint Anselm (13-5)
3) Stonehill (13-5)
4) Southern New Hampshire (12-6)
5) Franklin Pierce (11-7)
6) Merrimack (9-10)
7) Saint Michael's (4-14)
8) Assumption (2-17)
How It Happened
The first 5:16 of game time featured eight points apiece from both squads, with the Warriors calling their first timeout of the night following a bucket from Justin Tuckson. After a layup from Jordan Thornton (Dumfries, Va.) tied the contest at 16-all, the Greyhounds scored five unanswered to pull ahead at the midway point of the opening stanza.
After Gelvis Solano (Harlem, N.Y.) hit his second triple of the half to cut it to a three-point deficit, the Greyhounds poured in seven straight to pull ahead by 10, 32-22, with 5:21 remaining in first half. The Warriors answered back with a 12-4 spurt, capped off by a Troy Hammel (Valencia, Calif.) transition trey to make it 36-34 Greyhounds at the 2:02 mark.
Back-to-back buckets on the break from Solano and JT Strickland (Laurel, Md.) gave the Warriors their first lead since the opening minutes, 38-36, with only seconds left in the half. Late free throws from the hosts tied the contest after 20 minutes. Solano finished with 13 first-half points, while Hammel didn't miss a shot (5-of-5) to total 12 of his own.
The Warriors started the second half on a 11-1 run to take a 49-39 lead. Hammel scored six straight points at during the stretch, hitting his first three attempts to improve to 8-of-8 from the field. Assumption responded with six of the game's next eight points to cut the deficit to six points at the 12:41 mark. With under 10 minutes to play, Merrimack led 54-48.
Solano banked in a leaner with under seven minutes to play, part of his own personal 6-0 run, to bring the score to 60-48 in favor of the Warriors. The Warriors defensive held the Greyhounds scoreless over a five-minute stretch that ended with a lay-in from Mat Sulda, making it a 60-50 contest.
Julian Aiken brought the hosts within 10 with a dunk on the break with one-minute to play, but James Kennedy (Dorchester, Mass.) converted on a slam of his own to put an exclamation point on the victory.
Inside The Numbers
- Hammel hit his first eight shots of the evening, totaling 18 points during that span. He has shot at least 47 percent over his last six games and extended his double-figure scoring streak to 21 games
- Solano totaled 19 points and eight rebounds, shooting 8-of-16 from the field. Two others joined him in double figures, with Anthony Barry (Uxbridge, Mass.) and Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) finishing with 11 and 10, respectively
- Merrimack controlled the glass throughout the night, finishing with a 43-31 edge on the glass. Three players finished with at least eight caroms, led by 14 from Kennedy
- The Warriors shot 51 percent from the field, while limiting the Greyhounds to 32 percent shooting
Up Next
The Warriors return home on Saturday to celebrate Senior Day against Franklin Pierce at 3 p.m. Hammel, Tyler Hunt (Oswego, N.Y.), Kennedy, Solano and Strickland are all set to be honored as part of the pregame festivities.
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