Links: Box Score
Video: Highlights
NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team saw visiting Stonehill College sink a game-winning 3-pointer with 3.2 seconds remaining on Wednesday night at Hammel Court, topping the Warriors by a score of 65-62 in Northeast-10 Conference action. The back-and-forth affair featured 10 lead changes and eight ties. Despite the defeat, the Warriors still control their own destiny for a second-place finish in the Northeast Division and a home playoff game in the NE10 Quarterfinals (March 3).
Merrimack began the day by being ranked fourth in the first edition of the NCAA Division II East Region poll, which sees the top eight at season's end advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Warriors have already clinched a spot in the NE10 Championship, and with a win on Saturday over Bentley, Merrimack will clinch the Northeast Division's second seed for the second consecutive season.
The Basics
Score: Stonehill 65,
Merrimack 62
Records: Merrimack (17-9, 12-7 NE10) | Stonehill (14-12, 8-11 NE10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
Rapid Recap
- Merrimack started hot, owning leads of 11-3 and 20-8 by the 9:08 mark of the first half. Merrimack's defense held Stonehill without a field goal for the first 8:35 of the night, forcing seven turnovers during that span
- With the Warriors advantage at 22-10, Stonehill notched a 12-0 run that knotted the game at a 22-22 deadlock with under five minutes remaining in the first half. The team's traded buckets from there, with the Skyhawks sinking that last field goal of the half to put them ahead by one, 31-30, through 20 minutes
- Stonehill increased its lead to six (40-34) over the second half's first four minutes, only to see the Warriors record a 5-0 burst in 32 seconds to cut their deficit to one. From there, Stonehill kept Merrimack at arm's length and worked its lead back up to seven, 51-44, with 11:03 remaining in the game
- The Warriors proceeded to use an 8-0 run that lasted the next two-plus minutes to snatch the lead back for the first time in the second half, 52-51, following a lay-in for junior Juvaris Hayes. Two ties and two lead changes occurred over the next three minutes, a stretch that ended with Merrimack in front, 58-55, following a triple by junior Jaleel Lord
- Junior Idris Joyner converted an old-fashioned three-point to increase the Warriors' edge to four, 62-58, with 3:16 to play, but that proved to be Merrimack's last points of the night. Stonehill closed the evening on a 7-0 stretch, tying the game with 1:58 left before the game-winning shot fell through with under five seconds remaining
Notes and Numbers
- Hayes led the team with 15 points, five assists and three steals over 38 minutes. He shot 7-of-17 from the field, increasing his double-figure scoring streak to 13 games (every game in 2019)
- Joyner (13) and senior Ryan Boulter (11) joined Hayes in double figures. The duo also combined to grab 15 of Merrimack's 32 rebounds on the night
- Stonehill's bench accounted for nearly half of its scoring output on the night, finishing with 36 points led by 29 from Andrew Sims.
- Both teams were cold from three-point range; Stonehill hit 4-of-15 attempts while Merrimack sank 4-of-23
Up Next
Merrimack celebrates Senior Day on Saturday when Bentley University arrives on campus for a pivotal divisional showdown. Boulter and classmate
Troy McLaughlin will be recognized as part of the pregame ceremony, while Merrimack will have a chance to clinch a second-place finish in the Northeast Division and a home playoff game in the NE10 Quarterfinals. Saturday will also be the program's "Pack The Mack" game, with all students in attendance receiving a "Pack The Mack" white t-shirt courtesy of the athletics department.
