Links: Box Score
MANCHESTER, N.H. – The No. 24 Merrimack College men's basketball team saw the Southern New Hampshire start overtime on a 10-2 run, opening a 79-71 lead that allowed the hosts to hold on and win by five, 84-79, in Northeast-10 Conference action on Tuesday evening from the SNHU Fieldhouse.
The Basics
Score: SNHU 84,
#24 Merrimack 79
Records: #24 Merrimack (4-2, 1-1 NE10) | SNHU (5-0, 3-0 NE10)
Location: SNHU Fieldhouse | Manchester, N.H.
Marquee Moments:
- Facing a 69-65 deficit with 95 seconds left, the Warriors converted on two possessions down the stretch to force OT. Junior Ryan Boulter (Mansfield, Mass.) and sophomore Idris Joyner (Plainfield, N.J.) each converted lay-ins, with the latter coming with 29 seconds left and tying things up at 69-all
- Only one basket was made over the first three minutes of the extra session, a triple for the Penmen. SNHU followed up by scoring seven unanswered to turn a 74-71 game into an 81-71 contest with 41 seconds to play, which proved to be the decisive stretch of the night
Rapid Recap
- Points from sophomore Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, N.J.), redshirt-senior Tawayne Anderson Jr. (New York, N.Y.) and Boulter got Merrimack off to a 6-0 start, scoring on three of its first four possessions
- With the Warriors' lead at 13-11, the Penmen used a 10-0 run to take a 21-13 lead, bringing the first half to the 11:13 mark
- The Warriors faced a 28-20 deficit with 5:37 remaining, but sophomore Jaleel Lord (Jersey City, N.J.) came off the bench and changed the landscape of the game. He scored 11 points over a four-minute span, leading the Warriors on a 17-9 charge that saw the Navy and Gold take a 37-36 lead with 1:21 left in the opening stanza
- Merrimack turned its deficit around quickly with a 10-2 to start the second half. Senior Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) recorded the first four points before Hayes took over to net six straight. The Penmen recovered to tie the game, 49-all, with 14:11 remaining
- Joyner drew two charges and scored four points over a two-minute stretch that brought the Warriors' lead to six, 59-53. The Penmen answered with a 9-2 run, however, snatching a one-point lead, 62-61, with 7:51 to play
- The next four minutes saw each team combine for just three points. With 3:35 remaining, Hayes fed Boulter on a baseline cut to the rim that gave the Warriors a brief lead, but the Penmen immediately responded with a bucket of their own to tie the game at 65-all
Notes and Notables
- Hayes finished with team highs in points (25), assists (6) and steals (5). He shot 9-of-22 from the field, tying his career high with three three-pointers
- Lord totaled a season-high 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting and 3-of-5 from three-point range
- Joyner nearly registered his first-ever double-double, finishing with 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds
- Chris Walters led the Penmen's effort with 27 points and 11 boards, while Daquaise Andrews added 20 points and 13 caroms
Up Next
Merrimack plays a non-league tilt this Sunday afternoon, traveling to New Haven, Conn. to face Southern Connecticut State University at 2 p.m.
