Minor Leads the Way for Men's Basketball in Victory Over Emerson

Box Score

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. –  The Merrimack College men's basketball team squared off against Emerson College in the first game of the season for both squads. The Warriors came out on top 77-48. Jordan Minor led the way for Merrimack scoring a game-high 21 points and pulling down a team-high seven rebounds. Mykel Derring added 19 points as the Warriors coasted to victory over the Lions on Tuesday night. The Merrimack defense forced 28 turnovers, 17 of them were steals.

The Essentials
Score: Merrimack 77, Emerson 48
Records: Merrimack (1-0) | Emerson (0-1)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.  

Rapid Recap

• The Warriors jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead after Derring hit one from deep. The Warriors continued to push the pace going up 19-2 after a Malik Edmead steal and dunk by Derring. The play forced Emerson to call its first timeout. Derring knocked down another three with just over eight minutes to play in the first half. The Lions cut the lead to 13 points after a three found the bottom of the net. The Warriors then went on a 5-0 run finished with a Mikey Watkins 15-foot jumper. Minor had back-to back layups to finish the half, giving Merrimack a 20-point lead heading into the locker rooms.
• Minor got back to where he left off in the first half, scoring the first two buckets of the half. Later on, in the half Emerson cut the Merrimack lead to 17 after a three by Chad Dicenzo. 17 points would be the closest the Lions would get to the lead. Derring, Edmead, Watkins, and Devin Jensen would combine to go on an 8-0 run to take a 25-point advantage with just over 10 minutes to play. Jordan McKoy knocked down a three to swell the lead up to 28. Off of the bench Ryan Miller and James Barry III both scored to increase the Merrimack advantage. The final buzzer sounded and the Warriors took home a 29-point win in their first game back.

 
Notes and Numbers

• The Warriors scored 24 points off of the 28 turnovers they forced.
• Minor averaged almost a point a minute while he was on the floor. The Kingston, Mass. native scored 21 points in 22 minutes of floor time.
• Deering matched his career-high with 19 points.
• Merrimack scored 42 points in the paint and got 29 points from their bench.  

Up Next
The Warriors get back to action on Thursday in New Jersey against NJIT. Game time is set for 7 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN3.