NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. – For the first time in school history, basketball was played where ice usually sits at Merrimack College. The men's basketball team took down Lehigh University in its inaugural game played Lawler Arena, 55-45.
Malik Edmead led the way for the Warriors with his season-high 15 points.
Mikey Watkins chipped in with 10 points of his own in the victory.
With the game tied at the half, the Warriors exploded coming out of the locker room and forgetting their previous shooting struggles to score 33 points in the half and seal the 10-point win.
Jordan Minor and
Ziggy Reid combined for seven blocks. With under a minute remaining, Reid pinned the Mountain Hawk attempted lay up to solidify the victory for Merrimack.
The Essentials
Score: Merrimack 55, Lehigh 45
Records: Merrimack (3-2) | Lehigh (0-4)
Location: Lawler Arena | North Andover, Mass.
Rapid Recap
- Lehigh jumped out to an early six-point lead in the first three minutes of the game. Minor answered with a layup to get the scoring going for the Warriors. With just over 13 minutes left, the Mountain Hawks knocked down two free throws to give them an eight-point advantage. Jordan McKoy answered with a three to make it a five-point lead. Both teams went back and forth, before Mykel Derring hit a three to put the Warriors down one with seven minutes to play. In the next possession down the floor, Derring knocked down his second three of the game to give the Warriors their first lead of the game. The Mountain Hawks responded by going up four with just over two minutes left before halftime. Down four, with just over a minute left, Watkins knocked down shots on two straight Merrimack possessions to tie the game and head into the locker rooms.
- A three by Lehigh started the scoring in the second stanza. The Warriors responded by going on a 4-0 run to take a two-point lead. The Mountain Hawks tied it up. The lay in by Edmead and back-to-back threes by Devin Jensen propelled Merrimack into an eight-point lead. Lehigh responded with a three of their own to go down five. A Watkins jumper and another Mountain Hawk three cut the Warrior lead to four. With around 10 minutes to go in the game Edmead knocked down his first three of the game to put Merrimack up six. Two free throws by Lehigh made the advantage four. McKoy found the bottom of the net for his second three of the game to go up seven. The Warrior lead was cut to five after a 15-foot jumper was scored by the Mountain Hawks with four minutes to play. Merrimack finished the game 5-0 run to take home a ten-point victory.
Notes and Numbers
- In the victory, the Warriors became the ninth team in the country to record 10 blocks and 10 steals against a Division I opponent. Minor led the way with four blocks and Watkins had a team-high four steals.
- Merrimack scored 20 points off of 19 Lehigh turnovers.
- Tonight, marked a historic event in Merrimack College history, playing a basketball game in Lawler Arena had never been done. The Warriors become one of very few programs that now have the capability to play basketball in their hockey arena.
Up Next
The Warriors head down to Virginia Tech to take on the Hokies on Sunday afternoon. Tip off is set for 4 p.m.
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