Links: Box Score |
Gallo Postgame Comments
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team hit a season-high 14 3-pointers including a staggering 10-of-12 shooting from deep in the first half to lead the program to a 68-59 win over Northeast Conference (NEC) foe Wagner College on Saturday afternoon at Hammel Court. With the win, Merrimack moved into sole possession of first place in the NEC with a 12-2 record. The Warriors have a one-game lead over Robert Morris University with four games to go in the regular season.
The contest against the Seahawks aired on ESPN+, marking the program's first-ever home game on the ESPN family of networks. Sophomore
Mikey Watkins, senior
Jaleel Lord and junior
Devin Jensen each hit four 3-pointers apiece to lead Merrimack's offense. The trio scored 17, 15 and 14 points, respectively. Senior guard
Juvaris Hayes registered a season-high 15 assists in the win, recording the most by a NEC player since 2012.
The game was a tale of two halves as the hosts were able to outscore the visitors in a shootout over the first 20 minutes, 41-36. In the second half, Merrimack's highly profiled defense turned it on, limiting the Seahawks to just 23 points and one triple in the final stanza, paving the way for the nine-point victory.
With the win, Merrimack improved to 18-9 (12-2) on the season while Wagner fell to 5-19 (2-11). The Warriors play three games next week beginning on Tuesday evening against Bryant University at 7 p.m.
The Essentials
Score: Merrimack 68, Wagner 59
Records: Merrimack (18-9, 12-2 NEC) | Wagner (5-19, 2-11 NEC)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
The Visuals
Joe Gallo Postgame Interview with Stadium's Jeff Goodman
Merrimack played in front of a sellout crowd on Saturday
Jordan Minor's second-half dunk highlighted the first-ever home game on ESPN+
Rapid Recap
- Jensen came out of the gates and shot well, hitting his first three attempts from deep to stake Merrimack to a 15-12 edge by the 14:54 mark. With 9:06 to play, Jensen splashed in his fourth 3-pointer of the half and Lord followed on the next possession with a make from deep, giving Merrimack a 28-24 advantage with 8:26 remaining
- After Wagner tied the game at 28-all, Merrimack turned on the jets. The Warriors used a 13-0 run to create a 41-28 lead with under three minutes to play in the half. Merrimack hit five straight field-goal attempts – all of which were assisted by Hayes – to create the double-digit lead
- Wagner recovered, however, ending the half with eight straight points to trim Merrimack's lead to five, 41-36, at intermission
- A defensive slugfest played out in the final 20 minutes. Watkins was Merrimack's best player to start the final half, scoring the team's first seven points. He then assisted on a dunk by freshman Jordan Minor to give Merrimack a 50-44 lead with 13:28 remaining
- With 8:02 to play, the visitors sat within five, 55-50, but that was as close as they would get. The hosts used a 10-2 run that ended with Hayes banking in a triple to beat the shot clock, creating a 13-point disparity (65-52) that was too much for the visitors to overcome
Notes and Numbers
- Merrimack controls its own destiny for a NEC Regular Season Championship entering the final two weeks of the regular season. The Warriors remained alive in their bid to become the second first-year program reclassifying to Division I to win a Regular Season Conference Championship. Birmingham Southern accomplished the feat in the Big South in 2003-04.
- Hayes became the 21st player in NEC history to record at least 15 assists in a single game. He owns the NEC lead for both total assists (174) and assists per game (6.44)
- With 15 points, Lord moved within three of becoming the 45th 1,000-point scorer in program history
- Merrimack shot at least 50 percent for the fourth time this season
- The Warriors won the turnover battle (+6), committing just seven on the day. It was the third fewest turnovers that Merrimack had coughed up
Up Next
Merrimack battles Bryant University on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at the Chase Athletic Center in Smithfield, R.I.
