Links: Box Score
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Senior
Juvaris Hayes sank his first 3-pointer of Northeast Conference (NEC) play with two seconds left in regulation to force overtime at Long Island University on Saturday evening, but the host Sharks held off the Merrimack College men's basketball team in the extra session, 67-64, to emerge victorious.
The defeat ended Merrimack's season-long nine-game winning streak, which was the ninth longest in Division I entering Saturday's action and the longest NEC regular season winning streak in six years. It marked the longest unblemished run during the four-year tenure of head coach
Joe Gallo.
Senior
Jaleel Lord led Merrimack's effort with 17 points, while classmates Hayes (13) and Joyner (10) also joined him in double figures. Long Island was led by Tyrn Flowers, who scored 25 points and added 27 rebounds.
Merrimack's record dropped to 16-9 on the year and 10-2 in NEC play; the Warriors and Robert Morris Colonials are tied for first place atop the NEC. LIU improved to 11-13 (6-5 NEC).
The Essentials
Score (OT): LIU 67,
Merrimack 64
Records: Merrimack (16-9, 10-2 NEC) | LIU (11-13, 6-5 NEC)
Location: Steinberg Wellness Center | Brooklyn, N.Y.
The Visuals
Juvaris Hayes hit a game-tying 3-pointer to end regulation - just his second triple of the entire season - to force overtime at LIU
Rapid Recap
- LIU used a 5-1 burst to take a 10-7 lead with under 12 minutes left to go until halftime, taking advantage of a 2-of-11 start from the field for the Warriors. Merrimack responded swiftly, outscoring the Sharks, 11-7, over the next four-minute segment to take a one-point lead, 18-17, at the 7:48 mark of the opening stanza
- Neither team led by more than four points over the final seven-plus minutes of the first half. Down 29-25, freshman Jordan Minor slammed home a baseline dunk and senior Juvaris Hayes added a bucket to knot the game up at 29-all. Three free throws in the final minute gave LIU the lead at the half, however, as the hosts entered the locker room with a 32-29 advantage
- Merrimack dominated the start of the second half, using a 9-0 run to take a 38-32 lead. The Warriors' NEC-leading defense held LIU scoreless over the first 5:06 of the second stanza. After going scoreless in the first half, sophomore Mikey Watkins netted six points by the 13:14 mark, increasing their lead to 45-36
- The Sharks answered back, using an 11-0 run to take a 47-45 lead by the midway point of the second half. Seniors Jaleel Lord and Idris Joyner brought Merrimack back, sinking one 3-pointer each to counter four more LIU points. The game was at a 51-51 deadlock with under six minutes to play
- Fourteen points were scored in regulation's final six minutes as the team's traded points on each possession. Long Island's Virshon Cotton hit a three ball with 31 seconds to play that put the Sharks ahead, 58-55. Hayes had the answer though on Merrimack's last possession, firing a shot from the right wing that swished home and forced overtime
- The bonus basketball belonged to the hosts. Long Island used a 7-0 run that spanned more than half the overtime to build a 65-58 edge. Merrimack had one last push, using a 6-0 stretch over a 54-second span to close the deficit to one, 65-64. The Warriors' rally ended there as they did not get a shot off with a chance to tie game, falling by a 67-64 margin
Notes and Numbers
- Merrimack's winning streak was the longest for the program since an 11-game run during the 2009-10 season
- Lord led the Warriors in scoring for a team-leading eighth time this season. The senior needs 29 points to become the 46th player in program history to score 1,000 career points
- Hayes added a game-high six assists and four steals to his stat line. He needs 18 more to become the NCAA's new all-time steals leader
- The program also became the 22nd player in NCAA history (across all levels) with 900 career assists; Hayes finished Saturday with 905 career helpers
Up Next
Merrimack returns to New York on Thursday when the Warriors meet St. Francis Brooklyn. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
