Men’s Basketball Bounces Back with 16-Point Win vs. SNHU

Links: Box Score | Highlights | Anderson Interview

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Outside of the opening minutes of the game, the Merrimack College men's basketball team led wire-to-wire on Saturday afternoon against Southern New Hampshire, ending its brief two-game losing skid with a 74-58 triumph over the Penmen from Hammel Court.

The Basics
Score: Merrimack 74, SNHU 58
Records: Merrimack (16-9, 12-6 NE10) | SNHU (13-10, 9-9 NE10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.  

NE10 Postseason Outlook:
The top-five programs in the Northeast Division advance to the NE10 Championship. The fourth-place finisher hosts the No. 5 seed from the Southwest Division, while the fifth-place finisher travels to the No. 4 seed out of the Southwest for the First Round. Seeds No. 1-3 earn byes to the Quarterfinals. Merrimack has three games remaining in the regular season

1. Saint Anselm (18-6, 13-5)
2. Merrimack (16-9, 12-6)
3. Stonehill (15-9, 11-7)
4. SNHU (13-10, 9-9)
5. Bentley (12-11, 9-9)
6. Franklin Pierce (13-10, 8-10)
7. Assumption (7-17, 3-15)
8. Saint Michael's (6-17, 3-15)

Marquee Moments:

• The Penmen made things interesting midway through the second stanza, using a 9-0 run to pull within two, 51-49, with 10:12 remaining in the game
• The Warriors ended the comeback attempt there, scoring 10 unanswered points capped by a three-pointer from junior Ryan Boulter that increased Merrimack's advantage back to 11. The Warriors never trailed by single digits over the remainder of the game

Rapid Recap

• The Warriors dominated defensively during the first 12:33 of the day, holding the Penmen to single digits until the 7:27 mark of the opening stanza
• In that time, the Navy and Gold built a 23-9 advantage including a 6-0 run when the game was at a 17-9 margin. Sophomore Devon Moore scored the first two buckets of the run, followed by an isolation field goal for freshman Khalief Crawford
• The Penmen went on a run, cutting into the Warriors lead over the next minute, scoring eight of the next 10 points to make it a 25-17 game. The Warriors scored five unanswered to quell the burst, and maintained an eight-point lead through 20 minutes, 40-32
• Sophomore Jaleel Lord scored his first points of the game early in the second half, increasing Merrimack's lead to 12. The visitors, however, used a 17-7 run over the next seven minutes to make it a one-possession margin with 10:12 remaining
• Moore came up with the biggest make of the game, immediately swishing a trey of a three-quarter court feed from sophomore Juvaris Hayes. Merrimack called timeout on the make and scored the game's next seven points to regain control
• Lord and Crawford contributed four points apiece while Boulter hit his second three-pointer of the day in the final six minutes to cap the victory

Notes and Notables

• The Warriors officially clinched a playoff spot on Saturday, clinching the berth with the victory combined with Franklin Pierce's loss. The Navy and Gold hold a one-game lead on second place and trail first by on with three games to play
• Hayes led the team in scoring with 17 points to go along with seven assists and three steals
• Saturday marked the fourth time Merrimack held an opponent under 60 points this season. The Warriors are 4-0 in those games
• Merrimack's defense held SNHU to 39.2 percent shooting, while the Warriors poured in 56.6 percent of their attempts
• Boulter (16) and Crawford (11) joined Hayes in double figures, while seven Warriors finished with at least six points
• Merrimack edged SNHU in the paint, 42-26

Up Next
The Navy and Gold travel to Stonehill on Wednesday night for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off against the Skyhawks. The Warriors hold a one-game lead over Stonehill in the Northeast standings.