Late Triple Dooms Men's Basketball vs. Bentley, 86-84; Warriors to Host NE10 First Round Friday
Links: Box Score | Game Highlights
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – After graduate forward Anthony Barry (Uxbridge, Mass.) gave the Merrimack College men's basketball team a one-point lead with 11 seconds left, Bentley University's sophomore guard Ryan Richmond banked in a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left to give the visitors at 86-84 win Tuesday night at Hammel Court. After Tuesday's results across the Northeast-10 Conference, the Warriors finished fourth in the Northeast Division and will host the University of New Haven on Friday night at 7 p.m. in the opening round of the NE10 Championship.
The Basics
Score: Bentley 86, Merrimack 84
Records: Merrimack (18-10, 12-9 NE10) | Bentley (14-12, 11-10 NE10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
Senior Night:
Barry and senior forward Riley Calzonetti (Neptune City, N.J.) were both honored in a pregame ceremony as part of the Senior Night festivities. In the game that followed, both players started together for the first time during their tenures with the Navy and Gold.
The Turning Point:
The final 20 seconds featured a pair of lead changes with Bentley coming out on top. Facing an 83-82 deficit and coming out of a timeout, freshman Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, N.J.) missed a layup, but Barry corralled an offensive rebound on the weak side and put it back up-and-in to put Merrimack in front, 84-83. Richmond – the Falcons' leading scorer – took the inbound and went the distance before pulling up at the left wing to bank in the game-winning 3-pointer with just 1.8 seconds left.
NE10 Postseason Outlook:
The top-five teams in the Northeast Division advance to the NE10 Championship, with the fifth seed playing the fourth seed out of the Southwest in the opening round on Friday, Feb. 24. The top-three finishers have a bye until the quarterfinals on Sunday, Feb. 26. Due to Franklin Pierce sweeping the season series, the Warriors finished the regular season in fourth in the division and will host New Haven on Friday night at Hammel Court.
1) SNHU (15-6)
2) Saint Anselm (13-8)
3) Franklin Pierce (12-9)
4) Merrimack (12-9)
5) Bentley (11-10)
6) Stonehill (10-11)
7) Assumption (5-16)
8) Saint Michael's (4-17)
How It Happened (First Half)
- The first 4:34 of the game saw the Warriors build a 10-9 advantage behind four early points from sophomore Ryan Boulter (Mansfield, Mass.) and a bucket on Senior Night from Calzonetti. Facing a 12-11 deficit two minutes later, Merrimack scored four unanswered points on buckets from freshman Devon Moore (Hanover, Pa.) and Barry, causing Bentley to use a timeout with 11:17 left
- With the score tied at 21-all at the 8:35 mark, Bentley embarked on an 18-6 run spanning the next five minutes to take a 39-27 lead. The Falcons hit four 3-pointers during the stretch and were led by seven points from Ferguson Duke
- Merrimack responded swiftly by collecting 10 answered points to make it a two-point game at 39-37 in the final minute. Redshirt-junior Tawayne Anderson Jr. (Garden City, N.Y.) scored four of his six first-half points during the run while Boulter capped off his 12-point half with his second trey
- Two free throws with eight seconds half gave Bentley the final point of the opening stanza, making it a 41-37 game through 20 minutes
How It Happened (Second Half)
- Freshman Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, N.J.) started the second half with a layup to pull the Navy and Gold within two, but Bentley responded with an 9-3 spurt to increase its lead to eight, 50-42. Senior Matt Barr capped off the run with a three-point play at the 18:22 mark
- A 6-2 run featuring layups from Anderson Jr., Boulter and junior Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) brought the deficit down to four, 54-50, but the Falcons answered once again with six unanswered points to bring their advantage to double figures.
- With the score at 62-52, Barry hit consecutive layups to make it a six-point game, but Richmond hit a trey from the corner to put the lead back at nine, 65-56, at the 10:57 mark
- The Warriors once again chipped away, using a 7-2 run that start with a Boulter 3-pointer to dip the deficit down to four, 67-63, but the Falcons countered again with five unanswered points. Sophomore Troy McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.) slashed to bucket for two, making it a 72-65 game and the Warriors called timeout with 7:42 remaining
- Facing a 75-67 deficit, Anderson Jr. continued his career night by igniting a 7-0 Merrimack run. He finished off fast-break chance at the 6:20 mark, and hit his first 3-pointer of the season on Merrimack's next possession to make it a 75-72 game. Boulter followed with two free throws at the 4:29 mark to pull the Warriors within one, 75-74
- The team's exchanged points to make it an 81-78 game with two minutes left, and Anderson Jr. came up huge again with a layup, but missed a chance at a three-point play to keep it at 81-80 with 1:51 left. Barry's make came with just under 12 seconds to play to finally give the Warriors a lead, but Richmond's triple ensured the advantage was short-lived and gave the visitors the win
Inside The Numbers
- Anderson Jr. collected a career game with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, besting his previous high of six points. He also pulled down seven rebounds to set a new personal best. He entered the game with 20 total points over his last six contests combined before breaking out against the Falcons
- Hayes finished one rebound shy of his second triple-double of the season, posting 19 points, 12 assists and nine boards to go along with four assists. He increased his nation-leading total to 264 helpers, and needs five assists on Friday to set a new program single-season record for assists.
- In the NE10 record book, Hayes is now tied for fourth with Assumption's Demetri Beekman with 264 dimes, and has the most for any NE10 performer since the 1992-93 season
- For the program, Merrimack will host its first conference postseason affair since the 2009-10 season. That year, the Warriors advanced to the conference semifinals before making their most recent trip to the NCAA Tournament
- Richmond finished with a team-high 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting to go along with three 3-pointers. The Falcons finished with 12 treys compared to Merrimack's four, led by five long balls from Barr
Up Next
The Warriors advance to the NE10 Championship as the fourth seed in the Northeast Division and will play fifth-seeded New Haven on Friday night at 7 p.m. from Hammel Court.
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