Men's Basketball Records First Win at SNHU in Four Years, 63-60, to Sweep Season Series

Links: Box Score
Video: Jaleel Lord Interview

MANCHESTER, N.H. – For the first time for any current member of the Merrimack College men's basketball program, the Warriors claimed a victory at Southern New Hampshire as Merrimack toppled the Penmen, 63-60, from the Stan Spirou Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon. The contest was deadlocked at 42-all midway through the second stanza before a 8-0 Warriors run ignited by a full-court press shifted the game back in Merrimack's favor for good. It snapped a four-game losing streak in Manchester, and enabled the Warriors to sweep the season series with SNHU for the first time since 2014-15.

Four Warriors scored in double figures including a 12-point, nine-rebound effort for junior Jaleel Lord. Junior Juvaris Hayes netted 12 of his team-high 14 points in the second half. Merrimack's defense forced SNHU into 18 turnovers, including a near eight-minute scoring drought in the first half that saw the Penmen miss 13 straight shots.

Merrimack's win combined with Bentley's loss moved the Warriors two games ahead of the Falcons in the Northeast Division. A win on Wednesday combined with a Bentley defeat would guarantee Merrimack finishes no lower than second in the division. The Warriors and Falcons meet at Hammel Court next Saturday at 3 p.m.

The Basics
Score: Merrimack 63, SNHU 60
Records: Merrimack (17-8, 12-6 NE10) | SNHU (12-11, 8-10 NE10)
Location: Stan Spirou Fieldhouse | Manchester, N.H.

Rapid Recap

• Merrimack's defense proved superior in the first 20 minutes. The first 8:58 saw the teams trade scores, with the Penmen opening a 15-13 edge by the 11:02 mark. Five different Warriors had already scored at that point, led by five points for senior Ryan Boulter.
• The visitors' defense turned it up a notch, holding the Penmen scoreless over the next 8:40 of gameplay. Merrimack scored 15 straight points during that time span, featuring five points for junior Jaleel Lord and four more for senior Juvaris Hayes. Merrimack forced SNHU into 13 missed shots and five turnovers during that stretch
• The Warriors' attack, however, went quiet over the last two minutes. The Penmen netted a 7-0 burst to close the half – including a three-quarter heave at the buzzer – to close within six, 28-22, at intermission
• It took Merrimack until the 15:58 mark of the second half, but Boulter delivered a reverse layup followed by two free throws caused by a SNHU technical foul that increased Merrimack's lead to five, 32-27. From there, freshman Mikey Watkins and Boulter hit consecutive left-corner treys to make it a 38-32 game in favor of the Warriors. SNHU responded by scoring seven of the next 11 points, trimming Merrimack's lead to three (42-39) with 11:40 left in regulation
• SNHU would briefly tie the score, 42-42, but Merrimack quickly embarked on an 8-0 run. Six of those points were scored in a matter of 29 seconds as junior Idris Joyner converted a tip-in, and Hayes followed by stealing two consecutive inbounds passes that created a pair of uncontested layups. The Warriors led, 50-42, with 9:58 to play
• Merrimack's lead hovered around eight from there, while Lord hit a step-back trey at the 5:38 mark to bring the visitors' lead to double figures, 57-46. The Penmen punched back, scoring a quick five unanswered points to make it a 57-51 contest with 3:32 remaining
• The visitors never trailed in the final 3:32, but saw SNHU climb within one possession on multiple occasions. Joyner hit a driving layup with less than 90 seconds left to put Merrimack up five, and the Warriors hit free throws down the stretch to ice the game

Notes and Numbers

• Boulter (12) and Watkins (11) joined Lord and Hayes in double figures. Boulter and Lord tied for the team lead with two 3-pointers each
• Merrimack shot 50 percent from the field, and were an impressive 68 percent shooting (21-31) from inside the three-point line. On the side, SNHU's shooting splits featured .358/.421/.778
• In conjunction with the strong two-point shooting, Merrimack outscored SNHU by 20 in the paint, 42-22. The Warriors also own a 10-point edge (18-8) in fast break points
• Merrimack snapped a four-game losing streak at SNHU, which included a playoff loss in 2014-15. The Warriors posted their first season sweep of the Penmen since '14-15, as well
• Joyner added a game-high three blocks, increasing his NE10 lead to 46 rejections

Up Next
Merrimack will return home for back-to-back games at Hammel Court next week, beginning with a date with the Stonehill Skyhawks on Wednesday. Tip-off on campus is set for 7:30 p.m.