Links: Box Score
EMMITSBURG, Md. – The Merrimack College men's basketball program played its first Northeast Conference (NEC) road game of the season on Thursday night, traveling to Knott Arena to face Mount St. Mary's in Emmitsburg, Md. The Warriors suffered a 77-57 defeat against the Mountaineers as the visitors trailed by just seven early in the second half, only to see the hosts build a double-digit advantage that they did not relinquish.
Junior
Mikey Watkins led the way for Merrimack with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting while sophomore
Jordan Minor nearly had his double-double of the year with 14 points and nine rebounds. Four Mountaineers scored in double figures led by 19 points by Preseason All-NEC selection Damian Chong Qui. Merrimack was held to 35.7 percent shooting (20-56) and just four 3-pointers, while Mount St. Mary's made 47.5 percent of its attempts (28-59) including nine from beyond the arc.
The Essentials
Score: Mount St. Mary's 77,
Merrimack 57
Records: Merrimack (1-2, 1-2 NEC) | Mount St. Mary's (3-5, 2-2 NEC)
Location: Knott Arena | Emmitsburg, Md.
Rapid Recap
- The first 11 minutes of the night saw Merrimack erase a pair of five-point deficits. The hosts scored the first five points of the game before the Warriors responded with a 5-0 spurt of their own. Later in the half and trailing 13-8, freshman Malik Edmead hit a jumper on the fast break to start a 8-3 Merrimack run, leaving the game knotted at 16-all at the 9:07 mark
- From there, the Mountaineers used a 12-2 run to grab a 10-point lead, 28-18, with 6:54 remaining. That grew to as many as 12 on a pair of occasions for Mount St. Mary's, but Watkins scored the final five points of the half for the Warriors to bring Merrimack's hole down to nine, 38-29, at intermission.
- Merrimack trimmed its deficit to seven early in the second half, 40-33, but the hosts worked their advantage back to double figures. The lead for the Mountaineers sat at 10, 47-37, with 11:29 remaining. Merrimack's defense was strong to start the second half, holding Mount St. Mary's to 3-for-14 shooting over the first eight-plus minutes
- The 8:23 mark saw Mount St. Mary's grab a 16-point edge, 55-39. Freshman Ryan Isaacson answered with four straight points, hitting the first two buckets of his collegiate career, but the Mountaineers extended their lead over the waning minutes to as many as 25 points. The freshmen duo of Isaacson and Edmead scored 13 of Merrimack's final 18 points of the night
Notes and Numbers
- Merrimack falls to 1-3 all-time against Mount St. Mary's, including a 1-2 mark at the Division I level
- Watkins led Merrimack in scoring (17) for the first time this season, and scored in double figures for the second time. The third-year guard is shooting over 50 percent from the field (18-35) to start the year. He also added four steals
- After not scoring in limited action last week, Isaacson posted the strongest game of his young career. The newcomer scored seven points and added seven rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench, all of which were career highs
- The Warriors posted their best free-throw shooting performance, sinking 13-of-17 (.765) at the line
- Mount St. Mary's controlled the glass, outrebound Merrimack by 13 (44-31)
- Redshirt-freshmen Ethan Helwig and Jaylen Davis played in the second half, making their Merrimack debuts
Up Next
Merrimack completes its two-game set with the Mountaineers tomorrow afternoon with a 4 p.m. tip-off back at Knott Arena.
