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Jaleel Lord Postgame Comments
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Behind a defensive effort that held visiting Assumption College to 28.3 percent shooting from the field and 18.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc, the Merrimack College men's basketball program downed the visiting Greyhounds, 72-42, to pick up its first Northeast Division victory of the season on Wednesday night from Hammel Court. The 42 points marked the fewest allowed during the tenure of third-year head coach
Joe Gallo, and the fewest allowed for the program since December of 2012 when Merrimack limited Saint Michael's to 36 points in a home win.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 72, Assumption
42
Records: Merrimack (2-1, 1-0 NE10) | Assumption
(2-1, 1-0 NE10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
Marquee Moments:
- In the first half alone, the Greyhounds only made six shots and finished 2-of-12 from three-point range over the first 20 minutes. Assumption sat within one, 13-12, with 9:55 remaining before the Warriors clamped down, holding the Greyhounds to just two points over the following 5:34 of game action. During that time, Merrimack went on a 17-2 run spurned by 11 combined points for junior Jaleel Lord and sophomore Khalief Crawford
- The first five minutes of the second half saw Merrimack put the game away. The Warriors did not allow a field goal over the first 4:52 of the final stanza, and junior Juvaris Hayes put an exclamation point on an 11-0 run via a blocked 3-point shot, which he then rebounded and raced the length of the floor for a dunk that gave the hosts a 45-20 advantage
Rapid Recap
- The first 10 minutes of the first half saw Merrimack score its point in bunches, reaching 11 via runs of 6-0 to start the game and 5-0 after the Greyhounds pulled within one, 6-5.
- Merrimack's 17-2 stretch in the first half begin with a layup for freshman Mikey Watkins. Lord followed with two triples in Merrimack's next three possessions, while Crawford added two more buckets and a behind-the-back feed to junior Idris Joyner that made the score 28-14 with 5:36 until halftime
- Lord also put his fingerprints on Merrimack's 11-0 stretch early in the second half with five points including another triple. The midway point of the second half saw Hayes convert an and-one opportunity that put Merrimack ahead by 22 (52-30)
- Assumption would score just 12 points over the remainder of the game. Senior Ryan Boulter connected on a long ball that brought the Warriors' lead to 30 for the first time, 66-36, with 6:25 to play. Freshmen Ryan Miller, Aaron Jaynes and Matthew Chang entered the game in the final minutes to make their Merrimack debuts
Notes and Numbers
- The Warriors held their opponents to the lowest field-goal percentage (28.3) during Gallo's tenure on Wednesday night. It marked just the second time that Merrimack held an opponent under 30 percent shooting for an entire game over the last four years
- Lord led all players in scoring with 17 points while also adding a game-high nine rebounds. Through three games, the junior is averaging 12.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game
- Hayes also nearly added a double-double with 13 points and eight caroms
- Boulter (11), Crawford (11) and Joyner (10) also all finished in double figures. Joyner added seven boards, as well
- Merrimack controlled the interior offensively, scoring 38 points in the paint compared to 16 for the Greyhounds. The Warriors also forced their visitors into 15 turnovers, scoring 17 points off Assumption's miscues
Up Next
Merrimack continues league play on Saturday afternoon when the Warriors face Bentley University at 1 p.m. at the Dana Center in Waltham, Mass.
