Domination in Second Half Propels Men’s Basketball to Win Over Wagner

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  – The Merrimack College men's basketball team won its second straight Northeast Conference (NEC) game in a victory on Thursday night against Wagner College. The Warriors held the Seahawks to just 20 total second half points on their way to a 60-44 victory. Jordan Derkack led the way for Merrimack offensively, scoring 19 points. Adam "Budd" Clark was lethal with his mid-range shooting, knocking down seven shots all from inside the three-point line. The freshman point guard finished with 16 points. Both Bryan Etumnu and Devon Savage finished the game with eight points.

The Essentials
Score: Merrimack 60, Wagner 44
Records: Merrimack (11-10, 5-2 NEC) | Wagner (9-9, 3-3 NEC)
Location: Spiro Sports Center

Rapid Recap

• The Seahawks opened the game scoring seven of the first 11 points to take a three-point lead. Samba Diallo would slice in the lane for a layup cutting the lead down to one. With 12 and a half minutes to play in the first, Wagner was up by seven. Two jumpers from Clark and a three from Savage would tie the game at 15. The Seahawks knocked down a three to retake the lead. A free throw from Derkack and a breakaway dunk from Savage tied the game back up at 18 with four minutes to go before halftime. Wagner added five points on two straight possessions. Jaylen Stinson found the bottom of the net with a three getting the advantage down to one. The Seahawks scored once more before the end of the half, they would head into the locker room up three.
• A jumper from Derkack started the second half scoring for the Warriors, cutting the lead to one. Both teams would then start to trade buckets for a number of minutes. A layup by Diallo gave Merrimack at one-point lead. The Warriors then went on a 10-point run, highlighted by two threes from Derkack. Merrimack took its biggest lead of the game at 11 points. With nine minutes to play, two free throws by Clark made it a 15-point lead. Wagner would battle back to get the advantage down to 11. Another three from Derkack would swell the lead back up to 14. Good free throw shooting down the stretch from multiple Warriors would give Merrimack a 16-point win on Staten Island.

 
Notes and Numbers

• Derkack would finish the game with a team-high seven rebounds.
• The Merrimack defense held Wagner to a 29% shooting percentage.
• The Warriors scored 17 points off of 12 Seahawk turnovers.  

Up Next
Merrimack stays on the road to take on Saint Francis (PA) on Saturday. Game time is set for 4 p.m.