Men’s Basketball Falters in Regional Quarterfinals vs. Dominican, 64-50, Saturday in Manchester

Links: Box Score
Video: Postgame Press Conference

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Despite building a 10-point lead with less than seven minutes to play on Saturday in the first half and holding a 26-23 halftime lead over seventh-seeded Dominican College (N.Y.), the second-seeded Merrimack College men's basketball program saw the Chargers take an early lead in the second half before winning, 64-50, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II East Regional played at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium in Manchester, N.H.

The contest marked the Warriors' third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, and 11^th overall in school history. Merrimack finished the 2018-19 campaign as Northeast-10 Conference champions – the third conference title in school history – and totaled a program-record setting 22 wins on the year. Seniors Ryan Boulter and Troy McLaughlin played their final games for the Warriors, finishing their careers tied as the winningest class in school history with 76 victories over four years.

The Basics
Score: Dominican (N.Y.) 64, Merrimack 50
Records: Merrimack (22-10) | Dominican (N.Y.) (24-7)
Location: Stoutenburgh Gymnasium | Manchester, N.H. 

Rapid Recap

• Three straight 3-pointers – two coming from Boulter – contributed to a 9-0 Merrimack run, leaving the Warriors with a 9-2 edge. The Chargers answered back with eight straight points to take a brief lead at 10-9. Junior Juvaris Hayes took over the next two possessions, sinking consecutive driving layups to put the Warriors ahead, 13-10, with under 13 minutes left in the first half
• With Dominican within five, 18-13, a 5-0 Merrimack burst featuring Bouler's fourth triple of the half gave the Warriors their largest lead of the opening stanza, 23-13, with 6:14 remaining. Merrimack's offense went cold, however, closing the final six minutes with just three points as the Chargers used a 10-3 run to cut their deficit to three, 26-23, at intermission
• The momentum swung in the second stanza via a 20-2 run for the Chargers the lasted the first nine minutes of the half, leaving the CACC Champions ahead by 15, 43-28. Dominican's lead grew to as many as 17 with under 10 minutes left, before another Boulter trey trimmed the deficit down to 14
• The Chargers' largest lead of the day rested at 18 points, which occurred on multiple occasions in the half's final 10 minutes. McLaughlin scored at the 4:56 mark, while Hayes scored the final eight points of the day for Merrimack to finish with a team high of 19

Notes and Numbers

• Merrimack's 22-win campaign marked the most ever for the school in a single year, joining the 1977-78, 1988-89, 1998-99 and 1999-00 squads as 22-win teams
• Boulter and McLaughlin tied Merrimack's Class of '92 as the winningest graduating class in school history. The duo along with Hayes and junior Jaleel Lord also joined the seniors in the Class of 2010 as Merrimack players to appear in three NCAA Tournaments
• Hayes finished his stealer season with 618 points, 217 rebounds, 212 assists and 125 steals to become the first player in NCAA history (across all divisions) with a single season of at least 600 points, 200 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 steals
• The NE10 Defensive Player of the Year finished the day with one steal to pick up his 125^th of the year and break his own NE10 single-season record, set last season. It marked the sixth such season of at least 125 steals in Division II history
• Boulter set a new career high with 103 3-pointers made, breaking his sophomore total with his 100^th trey. He posted the first season of at least 100 triples at Merrimack in 23 years (1995-96)
• The sharpshooter finished his career with 1,429 points to rank 16^th all-time at Merrimack. Hayes will begin his senior season with 1,619 points, already boasting the 10^th most points in school history