NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team took a loss to Bryant University on Friday night, 79-63. The Warriors were led in scoring by
Malik Edmead who went 4-5 from deep and finished with 19 points.
Ziggy Reid added 14 points in the defeat, scoring on five of his 10 attempts from the field.
Jordan Minor scored 12 points and added eight rebounds to his stat sheet.
The Essentials
Score: Merrimack 63, Bryant 79
Records: Merrimack (8-11, 4-3 NEC) | Bryant (9-8, 5-1 NEC)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
Rapid Recap
- The Bulldogs jumped out to a quick six-point lead after knocking down back-to-back threes. Reid scored the first Warrior bucket after a floater in the paint. Bryant added another three to go up seven early on in the first. A Nick Filchner pull up three found the bottom of the net and put the Warriors down five with just over 13 minutes to play. Bryant then went on a seven-point run to go up double figures for the first time in the game. Edmead scored back-to-back threes to cut the Bulldog lead to five. Bryant then scored five unanswered points to go up double digits once again. The Warriors answered with five straight points of their own to go down by five again. The Bulldogs added five-points to their score to go up 10. Edmead knocked down another three to make the advantage seven with two minutes until halftime. After some free throw shooting and a made three, Bryant went up 13 with 40 seconds to play until halftime. Filchner knocked down his second triple of the half with 10 seconds left to send Merrimack into the locker rooms down 10.
- Reid opened the half with his one and only three of the game to put the Warriors on the right track and down seven. A Mikey Watkins jumper cut the advantage to six with three minutes gone in the second half. After a Bryant dunk, Minor matched it with dunk of his own to keep Merrimack down six. Two buckets by the Bulldogs put them up 10. An Edmead three narrowed the gap to seven. Bryant matched Edmead, but then the sophomore guard came back with another two-point basketball to keep the lead at seven. The Bulldog lead swelled up to 12 with just under 13 minutes to play. Minor and Watkins combined for four straight points to cut it to single digits. Both teams matched baskets for two minutes keeping the lead at 10. Watkins knocked down a runner in the paint to stir up momentum and send the Warriors down eight. A Bulldog layup got the lead to 11. Mykel Derring scored his first points of the game after a runner in the paint was true. Some good free throw shooting down the stretch got the Bryant lead up to 16, which ended the Warriors changes.
Notes and Numbers
- Filchner had a career-high in minutes (21) and points (8) in the defeat.
- Watkins had a career-high nine assists.
- Merrimack forced 10 Bryant turnovers.
Up Next
The Warriors get back to action on Sunday afternoon when Wagner College comes to Hammel Court. Game time is set for 3 p.m. and can be seen on NEC Front Row.
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