Links: Box Score
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – The No. 18/18 Merrimack College men's basketball program faced a five-point deficit, 56-51, with 15:32 remaining in Sunday's tilt against the University of Bridgeport, only to see the Purple Knights race forward on a 28-17 run over the next 10 minutes that put Merrimack away, dealing the Warriors a 98-79 defeat in their final game at the LIU Post Thanksgiving Classic.
The Basics
Score: Bridgeport 98, #
18/18 Merrimack 79
Records: #18/18 Merrimack (4-1) | Bridgeport (4-0)
Location: Pratt Recreation Center | Brookville, N.Y.
Marquee Moments:
- With Bridgeport threatening to expand its lead early in the second half, sophomore Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, N.J.) netted consecutive layups to trim Merrimack's deficit to five, 56-51. It only took Bridgeport a span of 1:32 to embark on a 10-0 run, however, widening its lead to 15 points
- Merrimack answered swiftly, using points from sophomore Idris Joyner (Plainfield, N.J.), Hayes and junior Ryan Boulter (Mansfield, Mass.) to score eight straight, making it a 66-59 game with 11:51 to play
- The next five-minute window swung the game in favor of Bridgeport for good. The Purple Knights double up the Warriors, 18-9, to increase their lead to 84-68 with just 6:40 remaining
Rapid Recap
- The battle of undefeated programs started closely, with neither team holding more than a five-point lead over the first 10 minutes. Joyner hit his first-ever three-pointer to put the Warriors ahead, 18-16, at the 13:01 mark, but the Purple Knights clawed back to tie the game at 22-all
- Over the next 8:34, the Purple Knights outscored the Warriors, 22-11, to build an 11-point advantage, the largest either team had in the first half
- The Warriors trimmed the deficit to five over the final 86 seconds of the half, scoring the stanza's final six points. Hayes found redshirt-senior Tawayne Anderson Jr. (New York, N.Y.) with a full-court pass to start the run, while Hayes himself netted the final four points, scoring 18 in total in the first half
- Hayes and Anderson Jr. combined to score Merrimack's first 12 points of the second half to keep Merrimack within striking distance. The ensuing 10-0 Purple Knights spurt that brought the score to 66-51 saw Bridgeport score on its final three possessions, all of which were jumpers
- Boulter missed most of the first half due to foul trouble, but returned to sink a shot with under 12 minutes remaining that brought the margin down to seven points, 66-59. Sophomore Jaleel Lord (Jersey City N.J.) followed up Boulter with five points on Merrimack's next two possessions, but the Purple Knights answered each bucket with a three-pointer
- Merrimack sat within eight, 74-66, with 9:17 left in regulation, but a 10-2 run for the Purple Knights proved to be the decisive blow, staking the Warriors to a 16-point hole with less than six minutes left
Notes and Notables
- Hayes finished with a career-high 30 points, hitting a career-best 12 shots on only 16 field-goal attempts. He led the Warriors in scoring, rebounding (7), assists (6) and steals (4)
- Merrimack got solid minutes off the bench from Hayes' high school teammates in Joyner and Lord. The duo combined for 19 points, scoring season-highs of 10 and nine, respectively
- The Purple Knights' press forced Merrimack into a season-high 16 turnovers
- Bridgeport also shot over 60 percent overall and 40 percent from three-point range, the best efforts of the season against Merrimack's defense
Up Next
Merrimack returns to conference play on Tuesday night when the Warriors face SNHU at 7:30 p.m. from Manchester, N.H.
