Men's Basketball Tops St. Francis Brooklyn

NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team downed St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon 65-53 for its second Northeast Conference (NEC) win of the season. Jordan Minor once again had a team-high 22 points. He also had eight rebounds to lead the Warriors. Jordan Derkack was the only other Merrimack player in double figures with 10 points. He also added four assists. Javon Bennett had nine points and Devon Savage had eight in the victory.

The Essentials
Score: Merrimack 65, St. Francis Brooklyn 53
Records: Merrimack (4-14, 2-2 NEC) St. Francis Brooklyn (6-9, 0-3 NEC)
Location: Hammel Court

Rapid Recap

• Merrimack opened up the game with a bucket by Minor and then two threes, one from Mykel Derring and the other from Bennett. Ziggy Reid then scored, giving the Warriors a five-point lead four minutes into the game. Derkack scored on a layup, followed by a Nick Filchner three gave Merrimack a 10-point advantage. The lead stayed at 10 until the 10 minute mark when the Terriers went on a five-point run to cut the lead in half. The Warriors responded by going on an eight-point run, going up by 13 points. St. Francis Brooklyn battled back with a seven-point run of their own cutting it down to six. Merrimack came back with five-points to get it back up to double figures. The game of runs continued with an eight-point scoring streak from the Terriers, making the Warrior advantage five. Both teams went back and forth for most of the rest of the first half. St. Francis Brooklyn went on a four-point run at the end of the first half, giving Merrimack a three-point lead heading into halftime.
• The lead was cut to just one after three minutes of the second half. The Warriors then added five unanswered points to go up by two possessions. A jumper by the Terriers stopped the run. Merrimack then scored 11 in a row to take a commanding 15-point advantage with nine minutes to go in the game. St. Francis Brooklyn added six-points to slice the lead down to nine. The lead was 10 with four minutes left in the game. Derring buried another three to put the Warriors up 13. The Terriers tried to come back, but the effort was not enough, giving Merrimack a 12-point win.  

Notes and Numbers

• The Warriors forced 19 turnovers and had 16 steals.
• Merrimack shot 45% from the field.
• The Warriors scored 30 points in the paint in the victory.

Up Next
 
Merrimack hits the road on Saturday to take on Stonehill College. Game time is set for 2 p.m.