Links: Box Score |
Joe Gallo Postgame Interview
HARTFORD, Conn. – The No. 20 Merrimack College men's basketball program played in its first official contest of the 2017-18 campaign on Monday evening, facing UConn in an exhibition from the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. The Warriors hung with the Division I Huskies, facing a deficit as low as seven points early in the second half, but the hosts surged forward for a 79-63 win.
The Basics
Score: UConn 79,
Merrimack 63
Records: Merrimack (0-0) | UConn (0-0)
Location: XL Center | Hartford, Conn.
The Turning Point:
Merrimack scored seven points over the first 57 seconds of the second half to cut its halftime deficit to seven, but UConn recovered to score eight unanswered points, building its lead back to double digits at 56-41 with 12:18 remaining. The hosts never trailed by less than 10 after that run.
Rapid Recap (First Half)
- Merrimack turned three Huskies turnovers into points, opening the game in a zone defense. UConn countered with 10 points over the first four minutes, leading by four at the under-16 timeout
- Sophomore Jaleel Lord (Jersey City, N.J.) entered the game and drained the Warriors' first triple of the game to make it 12-11 UConn. Sophomore Idris Joyner (Plainfield, N.J.) fed junior Ryan Boulter (Mansfield, Mass.) down low on the Warriors' next possession, countering a Huskies bucket to bring the deficit down to one with under 12 minutes left
- The Huskies netted 12 of the next 18 points to open their largest lead of the half to that point, 26-19, with 7:38 remaining. The run extended to 16-6 with the Huskies ahead by 11, 30-19
- From that point on, the team's traded points until the end of the half with UConn up 11 (40-29) at the break. Freshman Khalief Crawford (Linden, N.J.) led the Warriors with seven points on 3-of-10 shooting at the break
Rapid Recap (Second Half)
- A jumper from redshirt-senior Tawayne Anderson Jr. (Garden City, N.J.) and five straight points from sophomore Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, N.J.) over the first 57 seconds decreased the Warriors' deficit to seven, 42-35.
- With the score at 48-41 following another Hayes layup, UConn went on an 8-0 run to build a 15-point advantage. Lord answered with a corner trey with 12:10 to play, stopping the run there
- The final 10 minutes of the second half saw the Huskies extend their lead past 20. Hayes finished the night with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds while Crawford led the team with 12 points
Notes and Notables
- After leading the team and ranking third in the Northeast-10 Conference in double-doubles, Hayes posted one against the DI Huskies, totaling 10 points and 10 boards
- Crawford finished the night in double figures, leading the team with 12 points including 5-of-6 shooting from the line
- Crawford, Joyner, freshman Devin Jensen (Brielle, N.J.) and freshman David Giuliani (North Wales, Pa.) all made their Merrimack debuts at the XL Center.
- Larrier led three Huskies in double figures with 17 points, making 8-of-10 field-goal attempts
Up Next
Merrimack's season opener will be one week from Saturday when the Warriors play their first of two games at the East Region Conference Challenge hosted by Holy Family University at 2 p.m. against Jefferson University.
