Barry's Buzzer-Beating Winner Caps Off Wild Finish; Men's Basketball Downs AIC, 78-77

1/24/2017 12:00:00 AM

Links: Box Score | Game Highlights | Anthony Barry Interview

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Graduate forward Anthony Barry (Uxbridge, Mass.) hit a turnaround jumper as the buzzer sounded on Tuesday evening at Hammel Court, as the Merrimack College men's basketball team defeated the American International Yellow Jackets, 78-77. AIC converted a go-ahead layup with six seconds left before junior guard Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) raced the length of the court, and Barry hauled in an offensive rebound before converting the second-chance shot.

The Basics
Score: Merrimack 78, AIC 77
Records: Merrimack (14-6, 9-5 NE10) | AIC (8-13, 2-11 NE10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.  

The Turning Point:
A game that featured a multitude of runs, the final 30 seconds featured a few momentum-swinging moments. With 28 seconds left, sophomore Ryan Boulter (Mansfield, Mass.) sank a corner trey to give the Warriors a 76-72 lead. AIC's Juwan Moody answered on the other end, sinking a right-wing triple to make it a one-point game. The Warriors then committed a turnover, which resulted in a layup for the visitors to make it 77-76 AIC. Howes took the inbounds and made it to the other end in three seconds, with Barry's game-winner leaving his hand with 0.2 seconds on the clock.

How It Happened (First Half)

• The Yellow Jackets used a 17-6 run to start the game to build a double-digit advantage, which lasted the first six-plus minutes of the opening stanza. Five straight points from Barry brought it to a seven-point game, 20-13, with 11:29 left in the half
• A stretch of seven unanswered points for the visitors doubled AIC's advantage to 14, 29-15, with 9:12 to play. The Yellow Jackets made 5-of-6 from beyond the arc to start the half against Merrimack's zone defense
• The Warriors cut into the deficit during the latter moments of the opening stanza. With under four minutes left, redshirt-junior Tawayne Anderson Jr. (Garden City, N.Y.) converted a three-point play to make it a six-point game, 34-28. The Yellow Jackets, however, were aided by a four-point play from Juwan Moody with 50 seconds left that put their lead back in double figures, 40-30
• Freshman Jaleel Lord (Jersey City, N.J.) hit his third triple of the half – accounting for all of the Warriors' 3-pointers in the first half – that sparked a 5-0 end to the half for Merrimack that made it a 40-35 game entering the second stanza

How It Happened (Second Half)

• The Warriors tied the game twice over the first 1:56 of the second half, using a 7-2 run to knot the game at 42-all. Barry converted a three-point play to start the half, while freshman Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, N.J.) and sophomore Ryan Boulter (Mansfield, Mass.) added points. Three minutes later, Lord's fourth triple of the night fell through to put the hosts in front, 49-47
• Lord's make was part of a 12-0 run for the Warriors that ended with an old-fashioned three-point play for the Warriors' rookie guard. The lead rested at 56-47 with 13:40 remaining
• As the clock ticked under 10 minutes to play, Hayes drove hard to the basket with the shot clock winding down to make it a 62-50 game. AIC answered with a two-pointer of its own, but on Merrimack's next possession Boulter snapped a 0-for-7 drought from distance to push Merrimack's lead to 13, 65-52, with 8:48 left in regulation
• The Yellow Jackets' 3-point shooting kept the hosts within striking distance. Back-to-back triples from Tahlib Swan and Moody cut the Warriors' lead down to five, 67-62, but Boulter hit his second straight from distance followed by a cutting layup transformed Merrimack's advantage to 10, 72-62, with 4:58 left
• The Yellow Jackets proved to be a tough out. The visitors went on a 8-0 run following Boulter's last make, making it a two-point game at 72-70 before the Warriors used a timeout with 1:31 remaining. The run consisted of four straight layups, the last two courtesy of Bruce Spruell
• The final 30 seconds featured four field goals, two for each team and with each team make 3-pointers. Barry's final bucket marked the second straight the season the Warriors won at Hammel on a buzzer-beater

Inside The Numbers

• Barry finished the night with 16 points, shooting 7-of-12 from the field and adding six rebounds. His career scoring total rested at 990 points, needing 10 more to become the 43^rd player in program history to reach 1,000 career point
• Lord came off the bench and chipped in 17 points, leading the Warriors with four 3-point field goals on the night. Four Warriors finished in double figures, led by 23 from Boulter
• Hayes picked up his ninth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 assists
• Rasheed Howard and Pitts-Young tied for the team high in scoring with 22 points
• Merrimack finished with a decided advantage on glass, outrebounding the Yellow Jackets by 15 which countered the visitors shooting over 50 percent from the field

Up Next
Merrimack enjoys a five-day break before turning to Hammel Court on Monday night, beginning a three-game week with its none-conference finale against Southern Connecticut State University at 7 p.m.     

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