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Postgame Press Conference
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Behind six double-figure scorers including a career performance for sophomore
Jordan Minor, the Merrimack College men's basketball program defeated Sacred Heart University, 97-90, in overtime from Hammel Court. The Northeast Conference victory gave Merrimack (1-0, 1-0 NEC) a win in its season opener while the Pioneers dropped to 2-4 (2-3 NEC) on the season.
Minor posted a career-high 20 points to go along with a career-best 12 caroms for his first career double-double. Five of his teammates joined him with at least 10 points, with junior guard
Mikey Watkins notching 19 points, six assists, five rebounds and five assists. Sophomore
Ziggy Reid and freshman
Malik Edmead chipped in 17 points apiece, as well.
The Warriors faced a 52-38 deficit early in the second half, but rattled off 13 straight points to pull within one. From there, neither team led by more than five points during the rest of regulation as the conference rivals went into overtime deadlocked at 81 points aside. After the visitors scored the first bucket of OT, Merrimack rattled off a 10-0 run that proved to be the decisive minutes of the game. Reid scored five of the run's 10 points for the Warriors.
The Essentials
Score (OT): Merrimack 97, Sacred Heart 90
Records: Merrimack (1-0, 1-0 NEC) | Sacred Heart (2-4, 2-3 NEC)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
Rapid Recap
- The first 11 minutes of the night saw three ties and three lead changes, while neither team led by more than four points. Facing a 22-19 deficit, Minor hit a mid-range jumper and Edmead proceeded to steal the ensuing inbounds for an easy layup to put the Warriors up, 23-22, with 9:09 left in the half
- With 5:58 to play and holding a 30-28 lead, Sacred Heart used a 16-3 run that lasted until the 1:37 mark to take its largest lead of the first half at 46-31. Sophomore Mykel Derring hit a triple followed by a last-second bucket for Edmead to answer the run, allowing Merrimack to bring its deficit down to ten at halftime
- The hosts' 13-0 second-half run to close within one point of the Pioneers featured eight straight points for Watkins, who catapulted the Warriors right back into the game. With 15:04 remaining in regulation, the Warriors trailed by just one (52-51). It took until the 11:05 mark, however, to regain the lead as senior Devin Jensen drilled a 3-point to make it 61-59
- Jensen's long ball marked the first of nine lead changes that would occur over the next five minutes. Trailing 68-67, the Warriors used a 6-0 surge to snatch a five-point lead, 73-68, with 6:58 to play. Sacred Heart proved resilient, hanging around to tie the game, 77-77, at the 4:32 mark
- The final segment of regulation saw the Warriors collect an 81-77 edge, only to go scoreless over the second half's final 2:23. That drought allowed the Pioneers to tie the game and force overtime, the first overtime between the two schools as Division I foes
- After an opening bucket from Sacred Heart's Bryce Johnson, Reid's 3-point swung the game back in Merrimack's favor and began a stretch of four straight Merrimack buckets. The Warriors' lead did not dip below five the rest of the night, and Minor's dunk with 33 second left capped the victory
Notes and Numbers
- Merrimack's home game on Thursday night was its first in 314 days
- Minor best his previous career highs in scoring (15) and rebounding (9) by significant margins on Thursday. The 20-point, 12-rebound double-double was the first of the second-year player's career. He also set career highs in shots made (9) and shot attempts (16)
- Watkins also enjoyed a career night, posting a career-best 19 points while tying his career highs in assists (6) and field goals (8)
- Reid (8-11) and Edmead (7-13) also registered strong shooting performances. As a team, Merrimack shot 56.9 percent for the game including 65 percent (26-40) in the second half and overtime
- Reid's nine rebounds were a new career high as were Jensen's four steals
- Freshman Ryan Isaacson joined Edmead in making their career debuts
- Sacred Heart enjoyed a stellar first half, shooting 51.7 percent from the field (15-29) and 56.3 percent (9-16) from 3-point land
Up Next
Merrimack and Sacred Heart reconvene at Hammel Court tomorrow afternoon for a 4 p.m. tip-off.
