THE BASICS:
- Score: Merrimack 72, Assumption 42
- Record: Merrimack (1-1, 0-0 NE10), Assumption (2-0, 0-0 NE10)
- Location: North Andover, Mass. (Hammel Court)
- The Lead: Merrimack never trailed and took advantage of a cold shooting night from Assumption to shoot past the Hounds 72-42 in the conference opener for both teams on Wednesday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Merrimack scored the first six points of the game, before five straight by the Hounds closed the gap to one. The teams continued to trade points, and a jumper from Bryan Boehlert (Gaithersburg, Md. / Magruder) at 9:55 pulled them within one again, 13-12.
- Two Branislav Vujadinovic (Belgrade, Serbia / St. Joseph) free throws had Assumption down just 18-14 with 8:21 left. However, the Warriors scored the next 12 points while keeping the Hounds scoreless for nearly five minutes to stretch the lead to 30-14. Vujadinovic ended the run with a jumper and Assumption went into the break down by 15 points, 34-19.
- The Hound offense struggled in the second half, as the Warriors opened the period on an 11-1 run to extend their lead to 45-20 midway through the half. Matthew Kelly (North Potomac, Md. / Quince Orchard) ended the scoring drought with a corner three 30 seconds later and Assumption closed the gap to 19 points with 11:23 left. Merrimack answered back and didn't let the lead drop below 20 again as they came away with the 72-42 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Assumption shot just 28.3 percent from the floor and 4 of 22 from downtown, while Merrimack made half of its shots and was 9-for-24 from beyond the arc. The Warriors also held a 37-31 rebounding advantage while winning the turnover battle, 15-10.
- Damien Rance (Melbourne, Australia / Pope John XXIII) led the team with nine points and five rebounds while Michael Speight (Morningside, Md. / Wise / Canterbury) also had nine points. Patrick Fleming (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. / Iona Prep) dished off a team-high four assists to go with three rebounds, while Vujadinovic chipped in eight points.
- All five Merrimack starters scored in double figures, led by Jaleel Lord with 17 points and nine rebounds. Juvaris Hayes added 13 points eight rebounds and three assists.
UP NEXT:
- Assumption looks to rebound on Saturday, when the Hounds host Nyack at 3:30 p.m.
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