BANGOR, MAINE. – With 28 seconds remaining
Mikey Watkins found the bottom of the net with a three after a broken play to put the Warriors up two. Watkins finished the game with nine points, five rebounds and three assists.
Jordan Minor was once again the Warriors leading scorer with 13 points. Minor also had 10 rebounds which was good enough for his fourth double-double of the season.
Malik Edmead scored nine points in his third start of the season.
Ziggy Reid just missed a double-double of this own after pulling down 11 rebounds and scoring eight points. The Warriors balanced scoring attack saw seven players score at least a point.
The Essentials
Score: Merrimack 49, Maine 47
Records: Merrimack (5-8) | Maine (3-7)
Location: Cross Insurance Center | Bangor, Maine
Rapid Recap
- Minor started the game off by going on a six-point run by himself. Maine battled back to cut the lead down to one. With around 10 minutes to play the Black Bears earned their biggest lead of the game of nine. Merrimack battled back. Nick Filchner knocked down a three to push the Maine advantage back to six. Free throws by Edmead made the deficit four with just over seven minutes left in the first half. Back-to-back fast break dunks from Edmead and Minor tied the game with five minutes to play. The Black Bears scored first to go up three. Three free throws by Reid tied the game back up at 21. A scoop layup by Watkins and a coast-to-coast finish by Edmead gave the Warriors a four-point lead heading into halftime.
- Merrimack opened with points on back-to-back possessions to go up eight. Maine battled back to tie the game at 29 early on in the second half. Both teams traded scores back and forth until the game was tied at 35. Jordan McKoy knocked down a jumper to put Merrimack up two. A three the next time down the court from the Black Bears gave them a one-point advantage. A layup by Watkins and free throws from Reid and Justin Connolly increased the Warrior lead to four. Both teams went blow for blow again tying the game at 44. Maine took the lead after hitting the three with a minute thirty to play. Watkins finger rolled for two to put Merrimack down one. After a defensive stop the Warriors had the ball with 30 seconds to play. Reid missed a three as the shot clock was expiring. Edmead grabbed the loose ball and found McKoy, who found Watkins for three, giving Merrimack a two-point lead that they would not let up in the final seconds.
Notes and Numbers
- Minor earned his fourth double-double of the season, which leads the Northeast Conference (NEC).
- The Warriors forced 10 Maine turnovers and scored 22 points in the paint.
- Merrimack heads into conference with five wins, three of them over American East schools.
Up Next
Merrimack comes home after the holiday break to play their first NEC game against Saint Francis Brooklyn on Wednesday, December 29. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
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