Links: Box Score
Video: Devin Jensen Postgame Comments
HACKENSACK, N.J. – Junior
Devin Jensen hit four second-half 3-pointers and finished Thursday night with 15 points, leading the Merrimack College men's basketball team to a 57-53 win over Fairleigh Dickinson University at the Knights' Rothman Center. With the win, Merrimack increased its season-high winning streak to nine games and maintained its hold on first place in the Northeast Conference (NEC) with a 10-1 conference record.
The triumph also gave seniors
Juvaris Hayes,
Idris Joyner and
Jaleel Lord their 77
th win, setting a new all-time wins record for the program. The triumvirate broke a three-way tie with the Class of 1992 and Class of 2019 as the winningest classes in school history.
Thursday night's tilt unfolded as a defensive battle on ESPN as the Warriors held a 26-21 halftime lead after holding the Knights to 5-22 shooting (22.7 percent) in the opening stanza. FDU improved its shooting in the second half, hitting its first seven 3-pointers to get back in the game. Jensen's own shooting from deep catapulted the Warriors in front for good, hitting consecutive triples with under six minutes remaining to turn a 48-45 deficit into a 51-48 lead that the visitors never relinquished.
The Warriors bring their nine-game winning streak – the longest unblemished regular season run in the NEC since 2014-15 – to LIU where Merrimack plays the Sharks for the second time in seven days on Saturday. Tip-off in Brooklyn, N.Y. is set for 4:30 p.m.
The Essentials
Score:
Merrimack 57, Fairleigh Dickinson 53
Records: Merrimack (16-8, 10-1 NEC) | FDU (6-16, 4-7 NEC)
Location: Rothman Center | Hackensack, N.J.
Rapid Recap
- A low-scoring first half played out, which played into Merrimack's favor. With FDU leading, 12-8, at the 10:39 mark, Merrimack used an 11-1 stretch to create a 19-13 lead. Joyner scored five straight points to give the Warriors a lead, and Jensen hit a corner 3-pointer off a no-look feed from Hayes to cap the run. The visitors led, 19-13, with 8:16 left until halftime
- The Knights fought back by scoring the next five points, trimming Merrimack's advantage to one. The Warriors had one more left in them, however, netted seven straight points off buckets for freshman Jordan Minor and Lord. With 4:11 to go, Merrimack owned a 26-18 lead
- Over the remainder of the team, the two opponents combined for just three points, leaving the Warriors with a 26-21 lead at the intermission. Merrimack held FDU to just 22.7 percent shooting (5-22) in the first 20 minutes
- Merrimack opened its lead to double figures, 34-24, after Joyner and Jensen hit consecutive triples; the latter's shot making would become a trend later in the half
- FDU chipped away, however, working it down to a one-possession game, 40-37, with less than 12 minutes to play. Jensen hit a triple to put Merrimack's lead at 45-40 run, but the Knights used an 8-0 burst to jump in front, 48-45, with 5:52 remaining
- Jensen's time to shine came on the next two possessions, immediately hitting two balls that swung that game in the visitors' favor. The hosts made it a two-point game twice in the final minutes, but Hayes answered the first time by banking in a jumper and sophomore Mikey Watkins hit two free throws to create the night's final margin, 57-53
Notes and Numbers
- The 77 wins are the most of any four-year period in school history; Lord and Hayes have now on at least 16 games in all four of their years on campus while Joyner's career winning percentage sits at .659 (58-30) over the last three years
- With 16 wins on the season, Merrimack tied Cal Baptist's win total in 2018-19 at the most by a program going through its first year reclassifying to Division I
- Joyner (16) and Jensen (15) led Merrimack's scoring attack; the former moved into a tie with Lord for the most times leading Merrimack in scoring this season while the latter totaled his most points during conference play
- Hayes finished with a game-high 10 assists to move his career total to 899 helpers. He moved into the league lead with 145 helpers this season
- Merrimack improved to 7-1 this season in game's decided by five points or less
- The Warriors forced 17 Knights turnovers, the 13th time in 2019-20 that Merrimack has forced at least 17 turnovers in a game. Merrimack is 12-1 in those contests
- Merrimack improved to 5-0 in NEC road games and picked up its eighth win away from campus overall. The Warriors are one of 11 teams in the country with at least eight road wins this season
Up Next
Merrimack battles Long Island University on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off from the Steinberg Wellness Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. is set for 4:30 p.m.
