Men’s Basketball Downed Late by Cincinnati

CINCINNATI, OHIO.  – The Merrimack College men's basketball team was down just seven points with six minutes to play in the second half in their loss to the University of Cincinnati. The Bearcats would end up going on a run and winning by 16. Jordan Derkack was the lone Warrior in double figures with 18 points. Devon Savaged added nine points after knocking down three shots from long range.

The Essentials
Score: Merrimack 49, Cincinnati 65
Records: Merrimack (5-7) | Cincinnati (9-2)
Location: Fifth Third Arena

Rapid Recap

• The Warriors took the lead on a Bryan Etumnu jumper. The Bearcats then went on a five-point run to go up three. Samba Diallo ended the run with a layup. Cincinnati then added 10-points to take an 11-point lead. A Derkack jumper stopped that run. With eight minutes to play Etumnu found the bottom of the net with a three to put Merrimack down 12. Down 16 with five minutes to play, Devon Savage hit his first three of the night to put the Warriors down by 13. With two minutes to go before halftime Derkack went on a personal five-point run to put Merrimack down nine. A free throw from the Bearcats would send them into the locker room up 10.
• The second half started with Cincinnati going up by 12. Derkack then added four straight points to cut the advantage down to eight. The Bearcats added six points to go up by 14. Adam "Budd" Clark stopped the run with a jumper in the paint. With 15 minutes to play in the game Cincinnati was up by 17. Savage knocked down a three to cut the lead down to 14. Cincinnati found themselves up by 17 once again. This time, Jordan McKoy hit a three to get it down to 14. Derkack then added five straight points to put the Warriors down by nine. Derkack would find a lane with a layup to put Merrimack down seven with six minutes to play. The Bearcats added seven points in a row to go back up 14. Jacob O'Connell ended the run with a dunk. The Warriors would end up losing the game by 16.

 
Notes and Numbers

• Merrimack held Cincinnati to a season-low 65 points in the loss.
• The Warriors forced 18 Bearcat turnovers.
• Etumnu and O'Connell led the team with five rebounds each.

Up Next
Merrimack gets back to action on Friday a home in Lawler Arena against Bucknell University. Game time is set for 2 p.m.