Links: Box Score
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Behind a 38-point performance from junior
Ryan Boulter (Mansfield, Mass.) and a career-high setting 17 assists from sophomore point guard
Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, N.J.), the No. 18/18 Merrimack College men's basketball program outscored the host Holy Family University Tigers by 17 points in the second half to pull away and win Sunday's finale of the East Region Conference Challenge, 85-69, from the HFU Campus Center.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 85, Holy Family 69
Records: Merrimack (2-0) | Holy Family (0-2)
Location: HFU Campus Center | Philadelphia, Pa.
Marquee Moments:
- Through 30 minutes of action, Holy Family was right with Merrimack as the Warriors held a 62-61 led right at the midway point of the second half
- From there, the Warriors went on a 13-0 run over the next five minutes to put the game away, leading 75-61 with 5:43 to go
- Merrimack assisted on all five of its field goals during the run, with Boulter starting things off with a triple. Freshman Khalief Crawford (Linden, N.J.) contributed back-to-back three-pointers to put the Warriors ahead by double figures, while redshirt-senior Tawayne Anderson Jr. (New York, N.Y.) ended the stretch with a layup
Rapid Recap
- After struggling offensively to start Saturday's game, the Warriors scored 13 points over the first six minutes of the game. Senior Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) scored Merrimack's first two baskets
- Reserve sophomores Devon Moore (Hanover, Pa.) and Idris Joyner (Plainfield, N.J.) combined to score five straight to tie the game at 26-26 with 7:03 left in the first half
- Over the next four minutes Holy Family built its lead back to six, 37-31, but Boulter scored eight of Merrimack's 10 points during a 10-0 run that gave the Warriors a 41-37 lead. The Tigers scored the final five points of the half, however, to bring a 42-41 advantage to the locker room
- After not scoring Saturday, junior guard Troy McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.) got going with a second-half triple that put Merrimack up six, 51-45
- The Tigers would come within one point on multiple occasions, but Merrimack never trailed in the second half after taking a lead on its first possession of the last stanza. The Warriors had an extended run of 20-3 spanning the 9:44 mark of the second to 58 seconds remaining. Holy Family did not hit a field goal during that stretch
- After not playing in the opener, freshmen Devin Jensen (Brielle, N.J.) and David Giuliani (North Wales, Pa.) made their collegiate debuts in the waning minutes of the second half. Jensen contributed five points on 2-of-4 shooting
Notes and Notables
- Ten of Hayes' 17 helpers on the day came in Merrimack's 41-point first half. He bested his 16-point assist effort against LIU Post last season to set a new career high
- Hayes finished tied for the nation's single-game high in helpers last season with 16. The 17 assists on Sunday marked the most for a Division II player since February of 2016, when Fairmont State's Shammgod Wells dished out 19
- Equally as impressive for Merrimack's floor general, Hayes recorded 17 assists without a turnover. He added eight rebounds and five steals
- As a team, Merrimack committed just four turnovers, the lowest for the program in seven years since the Warriors gave up possession just three times in January of 2010 vs. Saint Rose
- Boulter's 38 points were two shy of tying his career high of 40 set last season. He dropped eight three-pointers, the second-most of his three-year career, while shooting 14-of-20 overall
- The Mansfield native's 14 total field goals marked a new career best, nearly tying his own program record for triples in a single game (9)
Up Next
Merrimack opens conference play on Wednesday when the Warriors face Assumption College at 7:30 p.m. from Laska Gymnasium in Worcester, Mass.
