Men's Basketball Competes Comeback in Overtime Victory at Iona

New Rochelle, N.Y. – The Merrimack College men's basketball beat Iona University on Sunday afternoon in overtime 77-70. Adam "Budd" Clark hit a mid-range jumper with under five seconds to play in regulation to tie the game at 60. He finished the game with 27 points to lead all scorers. The point guard from Philly also had eight rebounds and seven assists. His final two free throws at the end of the game gave him 1,000^th career point for his Merrimack career.

The Essentials
Score: Merrimack 77, Iona 70
Records: Merrimack (15-13, 12-5 MAAC) | Iona (12-16, 9-8 MAAC)
Location: Hynes Center

Rapid Recap

• The Gaels scored the first four points of the game. Devon Savage then knocked down a three to drop the advantage to one. Three minutes into the contest Iona found themselves up by six. The Warriors battled back, tying the game at nine. With 10 minutes left in the first the score was once again tied at 14. The Gaels then added five-points to go up by five. Matt Becht stopped the run with a three. Tye Dorset followed up with a three of his own to give Merrimack its first lead of the game by one. Both teams battled back and forth, tying the game at 25 with three and a half minutes to play in the first half. Iona scored eight of the last 11 points to head into halftime up by four.
• Iona hit a three to go up by seven early in the second half. Savage answered with a three of his own to put the deficit back at four. Five minutes into the second half, the Gaels found themselves up by seven. Sean Trumper drove the lane for two, cutting the lead to five. Clark added a jumper, making it a one possession game. Iona answered with a jumper putting the lead at five. Dorset nailed a three with 12 and a half minutes left in the second half, making it a one-point game. After back and forth play from both teams, Clark drove the lane for two, making the lead one with five minutes to play. The Gaels then added two threes to swell the lead to seven with a minute and a half to play. Clark scored on two free throws to cut it down to a five-point game. Savage added a three, slicing the lead down to two. Iona hit two free throws with 40 seconds left in regulation. Clark found an easy lane to the hoop, making it a two-point game. After a missed free throw from the Gaels. Clark hit a step back jumper with four seconds left in regulation. The game headed into overtime.
• The Warriors opened the overtime session with a three from Bryan Etumnu. Merrimack added two free throws, making the lead five. Iona scored, making the advantage three. The Warriors then added four straight points to go up eight. The Gaels attempted a comeback, but good free throw shooting from Merrimack proved to be too much on Sunday afternoon.  
   

Notes and Numbers

• Both Savage and Dorset finished the game with 12 points.
• The Warriors forced 17 turnovers and scored 21 points off the giveaways.
• Etumnu finished the game with seven points and nine rebounds.

Up Next
Merrimack heads back home to take on Rider University on Friday night. Game time is set for 7 p.m. in Lawler Arena.