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Juvaris Hayes Interview
WORCESTER, Mass. – Sophomore point guard
Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, N.J.) finished Wednesday night's Northeast-10 Conference opener at Assumption with a near triple-double, totaling 18 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, as the No. 18/18 Merrimack College men's basketball team ended the night on a 9-2 run to break a 62-62 tie with 1:32 play, pulling out a 71-65 win from Laska Gymnasium
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 71, Assumption 65
Records: Merrimack (3-0, 1-0 NE10) | Assumption (0-3, 0-1 NE10)
Location: Laska Gymnasium | Worcester, Mass.
Marquee Moments:
- Merrimack's 9-2 run started with a free throw by junior Troy McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.), which marked the 14th and final lead change of the night
- Hayes then contributed to Merrimack's final three scoring plays, hitting a layup and assisting on back-to-back three-pointers including a game-icing trey for McLaughlin
Rapid Recap
- Merrimack got off to a fast start. Hayes scored the Warriors' first five points, then dished to junior Ryan Boulter (Mansfield, Mass.) for a triple before Assumption called timeout facing an 8-1 deficit after less than three minutes of action
- Assumption answered with a 12-3 run, resulting in a 13-11 Greyhounds' advantage at the 13:34 mark. The run extend to 19-5, allowed Assumption to build a 20-13 lead
- A 9-2 Warriors run featuring four different scorers brought the game to a 22-22 deadlock with 6:53 to play. With Assumption up two, consecutive Boulter triples put the Warriors ahead, 32-30, with 1:55 left, but the Greyhounds recovered to bring a 35-34 lead to the locker room
- Hayes was involved in Merrimack's first four buckets of the second half, including a three-pointer, to make it 42-40 Warriors. Assumption answered with seven unanswered to snatch the lead back with 14:58 to play
- With the score at 53-47 approaching the midway point of the second stanza, Boulter stepped into a straightway triple. Two minutes later senior Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) connected on a left-corner trey to tie the game at 55-all
- Over the next seven minutes, the team's combined to score just seven points aside, bringing the game to its 62-62 point with 2:56 on the clock
Notes and Notables
- Hayes fell just one assist and one rebound shy of his second-ever triple-double. He led Merrimack in assists and tied for the team high in rebounds
- Boulter finished with a game-high 20 points, one of four Warriors in double figures. McLaughlin totaled 10 points to reach double digits for the first time this season, while Howes contributed a near double-double of 11 points and nine caroms
- Each team hit 10 treys on the night, while Merrimack shot 49.1 percent from the field compared to just 42.6 for the Greyhounds
Up Next
Merrimack plays in its second tournament in as many weekends beginning on Saturday when the Warriors head to the LIU Post Thanksgiving Classic to play the host Pioneers followed by the University of Bridgeport.
