NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. – The Merrimack College men's basketball suffered a loss on Friday night to Bryant University.
Malik Edmead scored a team-high 14 points. Five Warriors scored in double figures.
Ziggy Reid,
Mikey Watkins, and
Jordan Minor all had 13 points in the loss. Minor also pulled down 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season.
Jordan McKoy was the other Warrior in double digits with 11 points.
The Essentials
Score: Merrimack 67, Bryant 76
Records: Merrimack (8-13, 4-5 NEC) | Bryant (11-8, 7-1 NEC)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
Rapid Recap
- The Bulldogs started the game scoring the first five points. Watkins nailed a jumper to start the Warrior scoring. McKoy knocked down two free throws to put Merrimack down one. On the next offensive possession Edmead scored his first three to put the Warriors up two. After a Bryant bucket, Minor posted up a Bryant defender and put the Warriors up three again. The Bulldogs then scored nine unanswered points to go up six. A Watkins jumper stopped the scoring skid. Halfway through the first half Merrimack found themselves down three after a Minor layup. Both teams traded buckets. A Ryan Isaacson free throw put the Warriors down four. Bryant went on another nine-point run to go up by 12 points. An Edmead three with just over a minute left cut the lead to nine. Some good free throw shooting by the Warriors gave the Bulldogs a seven-point advantage heading into halftime.
- Bryant opened up with a three. The Warriors then went on a 11-point run highlighted by back-to-back threes by Reid and McKoy. The McKoy three tied the game for the Warriors. Both teams battled, tying the game once again. The Bulldogs then put up six points in a row to take the lead back. An Edmead three got the lead back down to three. Minor found a lane in the paint and scored with just under 11 minutes to play, slicing the Bryant advantage to just two. After two Bulldog free throws, Nick Filchner made his first shot of the game to keep the lead at two. Watkins knocked down two free throws with eight minutes to play that tied the game. Bryant answered by scoring seven points in a row to take a three-possession lead. Reid then went on a six-point run by himself to pull Merrimack within one-point. The Bulldogs responded by scoring eight unanswered points to go up nine. The Warriors were unable to get back within a score and ended up losing the game by nine points.
Notes and Numbers
- Edmead and McKoy stayed hot from deep going 7-12 combined in the defeat.
- With his seventh double-double, Minor now has a career-high in the category.
- Merrimack forced 12 Bulldog turnovers.
Up Next
The Warriors stay on the road to take on Sacred Heart University. Game time is set for 2 p.m. and can be seen on NEC Front Row.
