Links: Box Score |
Highlights
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team handled business in its home opener on Friday night, defeating Lesley University, 110-16, in the Warriors' first home game of their Division I era at Hammel Court.
Four players scored in double figures as the Warriors set a new program record for margin of victory. Merrimack improved to 4-3 win the win and will next visit Hartford University on Sunday afternoon. Lesley dropped to 0-7 on the year.
The Essentials
Score:
Merrimack 110, Lesley 16
Records: Merrimack (4-3) | Lesley (0-7)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
Rapid Recap
- The Warriors stormed out of the gate, scoring the night's first 19 points and holding Lesley scoreless over the first 8:06. Sophomore Mikey Watkins, junior Devin Jensen and freshman Jordan McKoy hit triples during the stretch.
- After Lesley scored the next four points, Merrimack scored the next 11 points that ended with back-to-back triples for senior Jaleel Lord. At the end of the run, the Warriors led by 27 points with 7:19 left until halftime
- The last seven minutes of the first half saw freshman Jordan Minor score seven straight points, Lord hit two triples and Jensen add another from distance the put Merrimack ahead, 47-9, at halftime
- Senior Idris Joyner started the second half with back-to-back buckets into a 3-pointer from the corner. Freshman Mykel Derring enjoyed a personal 8-0 run that started with a dunk on the break followed by consecutive 3-pointers to put the Warriors up by 61 with under 14 minutes remaining
- At the 7:59 mark, Merrimack played a lineup of its four freshman joined by sophomore Ryan Miller. The aforementioned Miller scored a career-high 11 points over the end of the game, finishing the night as the team's third leading scorer
Notes and Numbers
- Friday night's margin of victory bested Merrimack's 56-point win over New England College in 1995 as the largest margin of victory in school history
- Junior Khalief Crawford played in his first game of the season on Friday, playing in 14 minutes off the bench. He finished the night with four points and three assists
- Merrimack's defense came to play, listing the Lynx to 10 percent shooting (5-50) and forcing Lesley into 37 turnovers, which resulted in 63 points for Merrimack
- Career Highs: Multiple Warriors set new single-game highs. Watkins posted career bests with seven steals and six assists. Joyner sank four 3-pointers, the most of his career. Miller set career bests in scoring (11), field goals (3) and 3-pointers (2). Minor totaled a career-best five blocks while McKoy hauled in a career-high nine rebounds.
- Joyner posted a season-best 14 points while Lord added a season-high with 17 points. Jensen tied the latter for the game high in scoring. The trio combined for 12 of Merrimack's 20 triples
- Senior Juvaris Hayes dished out a season-high 13 assists while adding eight points and six steals
- Merrimack assisted on three-quarters of its field goals on the night, finishing with 30 helpers and 40 shots made
Up Next
The Warriors travel to Hartford University on Sunday afternoon, playing the Hawks at 2 p.m. from Chase Arena in Connecticut.
