Merrimack survives late push from Felician
Merrimack survives late push from Felician
NORTH ANDOVER — It wasn’t pretty, but it’s a win for the Warriors.
Merrimack outlasted D-III Felician on Saturday night, 89-85, behind five players in double figures. Budd Clark led the Warriors with 15 points.
It wasn’t a smooth night at the office for the Warriors, who turned the ball over 16 times but otherwise shot well. That’s the most turnovers for the Warriors in the last six games, and it’s tied for the third-most turnovers in a game this season.
From a shooting standpoint, this was Merrimack’s best performance of the year. The Warriors shot 61.8 percent from the field but allowed Felician to shoot 55.4 percent, which was the best shooting percentage by an opponent this season.
Merrimack trailed 6-0 after the opening tip but had clawed back for its first lead of the game four minutes later when Jordan Derkack hit a layup. After a back-and-forth game for much of the first half, the Warriors opened it up late in the first and led by eight points at halftime (43-35).
In the first 1:34 of the second half, Felician had closed Merrimack’s lead to 43-42 with a 7-0 run. The Falcons took a lead at the 15:15 mark of the second half when Jay’Von Jackson hit a layup. Merrimack snatched the lead back moments later and worked it up to a five-point advantage after a free throw from Jaylen Stinson.
Samba Diallo hit a jumper with 5:13 left, giving the Warriors a comfortable nine-point lead. However, after a run of possessions with scores late in the second half, the Falcons cut Merrimack’s lead to 83-81 with 40 seconds left. A Jacob O’Connell dunk gave the Warriors a four-point lead, and Derkack hit four straight free throws in the final 20 seconds to ice the game.
NOTES: Merrimack recorded no blocks. It’s the first time they did not record a block in a game this season. … The Warriors had a season-low three offensive rebounds. … The Warriors registered 23 assists as a team, which is a season-high. It was the most assists the Warriors had recorded in exactly a year, dating back to last season’s win over the University of New England (82-23) on Dec 9, 2022.
NEXT: The Warriors are off for the next week and will play at Cincinnati on Dec. 19. That game is set to be broadcast on ESPN+.
Merrimack 89, Felician 85
at Hammel Court
Felician (6-4): 35-50—85
Merrimack (5-6): 43-46—89
Felcian (85):
FG 3PT FT
Colon 8-12, 3-4, 2-2 — 20pts
Amos 8-16, 2-6, 2-6 — 18pts
Tovar 5-7, 0-0, 1-1 — 11pts
Jackson 4-8, 1-5, 0-0 — 9pts
McRae 3-6, 0-0, 2-2 — 8pts
Shanunu 5-9, 2-4, 0-0 — 12pts
Fitzpatrick3-5, 1-2, 0-0 — 7pts
Pullock 0-1, 0-0, 0-0 — 0pts
Balbuena 0-1, 0-1, 0-0 — 0pts
Merrimack (89):
FG 3PT FT
Clark 7-11, 0-0, 1-1 — 15pts
Derkack 4-5, 1-1, 4-4 — 13pts
Diallo 5-8, 1-2, 1-2 — 12pts
Savage 4-9, 2-7, 2-2 — 12pts
Etumnu 3-5, 0-1, 2-4 — 8pts
McKoy 4-6, 3-5, 0-0 — 11pts
O’Connell 4-5, 0-1, 0-0 — 8pts
Stinson 2-3, 1-2, 2-3 — 7pts
Plintauskas1-3, 1-3, 0-0 — 3pts