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Video: Highlights //
Ziggy Reid Postgame Comments
NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. – Three Warriors scored in double figures including a team-best 18 points for senior
Jaleel Lord and a career-high tying 13 points off the bench for freshman
Ziggy Reid, leading the Merrimack College men's basketball team to a 70-59 win over visiting Long Island University on Saturday afternoon at Hammel Court. The win extended Merrimack's winning streak to eight games, keeping the Warriors in first place in the Northeast Conference (NEC).
The Warriors kept the NEC's top offense in check, holding the Sharks to 59 points, their lowest total in conference play. Merrimack forced 19 LIU turnovers, which also marked the most for the Sharks in NEC play. It was the second most that LIU has coughed up during the entire season.
With the win, Merrimack's senior class of Lord,
Juvaris Hayes and
Idris Joyner tied the Class of 2019 and 1992 as the winningest groups in school history. The triumvirate sits on 76 career wins, needing one more to record the most wins of a senior class in program history. The Warriors also moved within two triumphs of setting the NCAA record for the most wins by a first-year reclassifying institution to Division I.
After Saturday, Merrimack's overall record sits a 15-8 (9-1 NEC). LIU fell to 10-12 (5-4 NEC). Merrimack holds a one-game lead over Robert Morris in the NEC standings.
The Essentials
Score:
Merrimack 70, LIU 59
Records: Merrimack (15-8, 9-1 NEC) | LIU (10-12, 5-4 NEC)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
The Visuals
Merrimack celebrated Kids Day on campus on Saturday, welcoming various youth to campus in an initiative sponsored by both the NEC and Pilot Pens USA
One of those youth groups was Triton Athletics, who attended Saturday as part of a near-sellout crowd of 1,471 fans at Hammel Court
Reid's career game was emphasized by this baseline dunk, which occurred late in the second half and sent the home faithful into a frenzy
Rapid Recap
- It was a close game early, with Merrimack up two, 10-8, after the first five minutes. From there, Merrimack used an 8-0 run to build an 18-8 advantage. Freshman Mykel Derring hit a 3-pointer to cap the run. The Warriors led by nine, 20-11, at the midway point of the half
- LIU climbed within four before Merrimack broke the first half open with an 11-2 run. Joyner scored the first five points of the run, and freshman Jordan Minor and Reid followed three points each to create a 31-18 margin with only 5:01 left until halftime. LIU responded, however, using an 11-2 run of their own to trim the lead back to four, 33-29
- Merrimack owned the final two minutes, taking a 40-31 advantage into the locker room. Lord led the Warriors with 11 points at halftime
- The Sharks came within four points twice in the early going, but Merrimack kept the Sharks from getting any closer. The hosts' lead grew to double digits, 52-42, at the 10:53 mark following a triple from Lord, and then expanded to 13 after a three-ball by Joyner, which fell through with under nine minutes to play
- Merrimack's lead never dipped below double digits over the remainder of the game. The Warriors led by as many as 16 in the latter stages of the half, with Reid putting an exclamation point on the win with a 3-pointer with 1:25 to go
Notes and Numbers
- Joyner, Hayes and Lord matched former teammates Ryan Boulter and Troy McLaughlin as having the most wins in school history. The Class of 1992 also matched the trio's total
- Merrimack moved closer to Cal Baptist's 16-win season last year as the record for the most wins by a first-year institution reclassifying to Division I
- Lord led Merrimack in scoring for a team-best eighth time this season
- Reid scored in double figures for the fourth time this season and the first time in NEC play
- Hayes dished out a conference-play high 11 assists, his second game this season in double figures. He added four steals to increase his streak of three steals or more to five games. He sits on 425 for his career, needing 24 more to set a new NCAA record
Up Next
Merrimack visits Fairleigh Dickinson on Thursday for a matchup against the Knights on 7 p.m. The Northeast Conference (NEC) contest in Teaneck, N.J. will air on ESPN3.
