Links: Box Score
Video: Highlights
NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team saw a three-point halftime lead slip away on Saturday afternoon as the Warriors dropped a Northeast Conference contest to Robert Morris, 69-58, from Hammel Court. The contest marked the program's first-ever NEC home game on campus.
The Warriors led, 28-25, through 20 minutes, but saw the visiting Colonials climb back into it via a 28-12 second-half run that spanned the first 9:25 of the final stanza. The Warriors trimmed their deficit to five with 3:30 to play, 57-52, but the visitors put the game away with a 10-1 run.
Senior
Idris Joyner led three Warriors in double figures with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Saturday marked fourth-year head coach
Joe Gallo's fist-ever game against Robert Morris, who he served as an assistant coach for from 2012-16 before taking over as the Warriors' boss.
The Essentials
Score: Robert Morris 69,
Merrimack 58
Records: Merrimack (7-8, 1-1 NEC) | Robert Morris (6-9, 2-0 NEC)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
Rapid Recap
- The team's traded baskets as each of Merrimack's starters hit a field goal of the day's first 10 minutes. After Joyner connected on a layup, classmate Juvaris Hayes dropped in his first field goal, giving the Warriors a 12-11 edge at the 10:16 mark
- The team's continued to trade baskets over the next five-minutes stretch. Freshman Ziggy Reid hit a left-wing 3-pointer at the 4:08 mark to put Merrimack up four, 23-19, but Robert Morris answered with a triple on the other end, cutting the advantage to one point. The only extended run of the half came after that as Merrimack used a 5-0 spurt to build a 28-22 lead. The Colonials scored the final three points of the half, however, trimming Merrimack's edge to three, 28-25, at halftime
- The first five minutes of the second half saw Robert Morris retake the lead at the 17:03 mark. Junior Devin Jensen hit a 3-pointer two minutes later to keep Merrimack within one, 36-35, and Reid followed a few possessions later with a right-handed dunk to pull the Warriors within four, 41-37, with 14:02 remaining
- The next three minutes saw the Colonials burst ahead via a 12-3 stretch that gave the visitors a 13-point edge at the midway point of the stanza. Merrimack responded with strong play from senior Jaleel Lord who scored the last six points of an 8-0 stretch that cut the deficit down to 53-48 at the 6:25 mark. After Joyner's last bucket of the night, the Warriors still sat within five, 57-52, with 3:30 to play
- The Colonials' 10-1 run spanned the next 2:26 which saw RMU hit a pair of triples that put the game out of reach
Notes and Numbers
- Saturday marked the first-ever meeting between Robert Morris and Merrimack
- Joyner's 13 points was his season high against DI competition and his five field goals tied his season best, as well. He pulled in six rebounds for the second straight game, as well
- Lord and Hayes added 11 points to join their senior classmate in double figures. The former led the team with seven boards while the latter added a game-high eight assists
- Reid scored eight points on 3-of-3 shooting in 19 minutes off the bench, while adding four rebounds. He scored his most points since a 13-point game against Brown
- The visitors shot 50 percent (8-16) from beyond the arc; Robert Morris entered the day as the NEC's top 3-point shooting team
- The Colonials' reserves impacted the game as their bench outscored Merrimack's, 28-14
Up Next
Merrimack returns home on Thursday evening when the Warriors welcome Mount St. Mary's to Hammel Court for a 7 p.m. tip-off on campus.
