Men's Basketball Concludes Regular Season with Victory Over Long Island

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team finished the regular season off in Brooklyn by beating Long Island University 80-59. Jordan Minor earned his 14thdouble-double of the season after scoring a team-high 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Both Devon Savage and Jordan Derkack had 14 points each to help secure the victory. Freshman Javon Bennett continues to shine as he dished out 12 assists in the win.

The Essentials
Score: Merrimack 80, Long Island 59
Records: Merrimack (15-16, 12-4 NEC) Long Island (3-25, 1-15 NEC)
Location: Steinberg Wellness Center

Rapid Recap
● Merrimack jumped out to an early lead after a three from Savage, six points from Minor, and a Bennett jumper that put the Warriors up by seven. Savage nailed another three and a Ziggy Reid free throw kept Merrimack up. After the Sharks went on a eight point run to take control of the game, Savage nailed another three with 9:18 in the first half to take a two point lead. The Warriors would then heat up as Reid went 2-2 from the line, three pointers by Derkack and Jaylen Stinson, four points by Minor and shots by Savage and Bennett pushed the Warriors up to a 15 point lead. After a three point run by LIU and free throws by Jordan Mckoy, the teams went to the half 35-21.

● A Minor dunk would get the scoring going for Merrimack in the second half. The home team found themselves up 16. After trading points, the Sharks found themselves down by 11 points. Points by Minor, Derkack, Bennett and Mckoy eight minutes into the second half gave the Warriors a 19-point lead. With the Sharks fighting back to regain momentum, Reid would then hit a three to put Merrimack up 22 with four minutes left in the game. LIU would get the lead down to 21, but could not complete the comeback. Merrimack would win the game 80-59.

Notes and Numbers
● Merrimack scored 34 points off of turnovers.
● The Warriors shot 43% from the field and 37% from long range.
● Merrimack had 15 steals.

Up Next
The Warriors will play Long Island University on Wednesday in the first round of the Northeast Conference playoffs in North Andover.