Dominican Quiets Men's Basketball Sunday, 75-60

Links: Box Score | Highlights

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Playing its final game of the calendar year and penultimate non-conference contest of the season, the Merrimack College men's basketball team suffered a 75-60 defeat to the visiting Dominican College Chargers on Sunday afternoon from Hammel Court.

The Basics
Score: Dominican 75, Merrimack 60
Records: Merrimack (9-4) | Dominican (9-4)
Location:  Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.

Marquee Moments:

• With Merrimack within eight points, 51-43, with 9:20 remaining, the Chargers held the Navy and Gold to three points over the next five minutes to build an insurmountable advantage
• The visitors' 13-3 run lasted until the 3:49 mark of the second stanza, leaving Merrimack with a 64-46 deficit
• The Chargers turned the tables on the Warriors in the opening stanza, netting 17 unanswered points over the middle portion of the half to take the lead for good 

• The Chargers held an early 6-5 lead, but Merrimack answered with an 8-0 run highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers for sophomores Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, N.J.) and Devon Moore (Hanover, Pa.) to make it a 13-6 game at the 13:55 mark
• The Chargers responded strongly, embarking on a 17-0 run over the next 7:20 of action to pull ahead by 10, 23-13. Freshman Khalief Crawford (Linden, N.J.) curled off a screen to swish a triple, ending the stretch with 6:20 until halftime
• The team's traded points from that point forward, with Dominican entering the locker room with a 31-23 advantage
• Senior Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) hit two three-pointers over the first five minutes of the second half, pulling the Warriors within six, 39-33. Dominican kept answering Merrimack's comeback attempts, however, building its lead back to 10, 47-37, with 12:54 remaining
• At the 9:20 mark, sophomore Jaleel Lord (Jersey City, N.J.) hit a corner try, only to see Dominican limit Merrimack to three points over the next five minutes to increases its lead to 16 with just 4:25 to play 

• The defeat marked the first lose at home this season for the Warriors, snapping the program's season-long five-game winning streak
• Three Warriors scored in double figures, led by 16 points from Hayes. Crawford and Howes contributed 10 points apiece
• Four Chargers reached double digits, led by a pair of 20-plus point performances from sophomores Daraja Rodwell (21) and Daniel Grant (20)
• Sophomore Idris Joyner (Plainfield, N.J.) added team highs in rebounds (9) and blocks (3)

Up Next
The Warriors return to conference play on Wednesday, hosting Southern Connecticut at 7:30 p.m. from Hammel Court.

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