Baileys double-double leads Rutgers past Merrimack 74-63

Rutgers freshman Ace Bailey, who many believe will be a top-five pick in next summer’s NBA Draft, had 23 points to lead the Scarlet Knights past Merrimack 74-63 on Wednesday night.

Bailey also finished the night with 10 rebounds.

Budd Clark scored 22 points for the Warriors, who entered the game as a near 20-point underdog. Merrimack trailed only seven points at halftime and was within 10 points in the final minute after Devon Savage picked off an inbound pass and hit a contested layup.

“I was super happy with how we played and thought it could have been even a little better of a game,” said Merrimack coach Joe Gallo. “We got great looks in the first half, the ball just didn’t go in.”

The Warriors struggled from 3-point territory, shooting 16.7 percent (4 for 24). Rutgers shot 41.2 percent from beyond the arc (7 for 17).

The Warriors are shooting 22 percent from 3-point territory this season; the Warriors finished last season 30.9 percent from three.

At one point, the Warriors went over 20 minutes without hitting a 3-point shot.

But Gallo isn’t deterred by those numbers. He believes the Warriors are getting good looks, and ultimately that’s what matters most.

“Usually at halftime, when we’re playing a school our level, I look at which team got better shots, and that first half, I would have judged that saying that we had better shots,” Gallo said. “They had some free throws, but we executed.”

Rutgers took over the game early in the second half, building its lead to 14 points, but the Warriors again clawed their way back into it, trailing only by seven points with 2:53 left in the second half.

“The first stretch of the second half, I wasn’t really happy,” Gallo said. “All of a sudden, we wanted to out-score them, play with them, and go up and down. Our defense got away from us. But overall, I’m happy with the effort.”

Sean Trumper had 10 points for the Warriors.

Merrimack’s road trip continues on Friday with a trip to Butler.