Links: Box Score
LAKELAND, Fla. – The Merrimack College men's basketball program scored a season-high 84 points on Friday night in the Warriors' opening game of the Terrace Hotel Classic against No. 12/11 Florida Southern from the Jenkins Field House in Lakeland, Fla. The visitors scored 53 second-half points, but the host Mocs outlasted Merrimack's late run, hanging on for a 90-84 victory.
The Basics
Score: #12/11 Florida Southern 90,
Merrimack 84
Records: Merrimack (3-3) | #12/11 Florida Southern (4-0)
Location: Jenkins Field House | Lakeland, Fla.
Rapid Recap
- The Warriors started the night on a 9-2 stretch, making four of their first five shots including 2-for-2 for junior Jaleel Lord. The Mocs recovered to go on an 11-3 spurt to take a brief 13-12 lead, but sophomore Khalief Crawford converted an and-one followed by a 3-pointer to make it a 18-13 game with 14:16 left in the first half
- Senior Troy McLaughlin kicked out to classmate Ryan Boulter for a straightaway triple at the 9:05 mark to give the Warriors a seven-point lead, 26-19. Sophomore Juvaris Hayes registered a layup at the 4:52 mark to put Merrimack back in front, 30-29, after Florida Southern had taken a brief lead. The Mocs, however, ended the half on a 14-1 run to take a 12-point lead (43-31) to the locker room
- The Warriors started the second half on a 12-2 run to trim their deficit to two, 45-43, five minutes into the final stanza. Hayes scored seven of the 12 points, while Lord and junior Idris Joyner also contributed buckets. By the 13:30 mark, Merrimack tied the game at 51-all after Lord connected on consecutive 3-pointers to completely erase the 12-point halftime deficit
- The next four minutes saw the Mocs use a 16-5 run to build their advantage back to 11, 67-56, with 9:02 remaining. The Warriors would not relent, chipping away to get back within five, 73-68, follow a right-handed triple by senior Ryan Boulter with 5:40 remaining
- The final five minutes saw Merrimack never get closer than five, however, as Florida Southern kept Merrimack at arm's length, ending the game with the
Notes and Numbers
- Crawford finished the day with a season-best 14 points, 12 of which came in the first half. The Linden, N.J. native shot 4-of-8 from the field
- Hayes (24) and Boulter (20) both finished with 20-point efforts. The former added eight assists and three steals while the latter set a season high in scoring
- Both Lord and Joyner nearly posted double-doubles. The former scored 17 points and the latter added seven; the duo tied for the team high with nine rebounds each
- Both teams shot around the 50-percent mark for the game. Merrimack sank 12-of-30 from deep, while the Mocs connected on 58 percent (7-12) of their treys. Florida Southern was aided by 32 free-throw attempts, sinking 25 of them
- The Terrace Hotel Classic allowed Merrimack to play its first games in the state of Florida since December of 2003 when the Warriors when 3-0 against Nova Southeastern, Barry and Florida Tech
- Friday marked the fourth all-time meeting between the Warriors and Mocs, and first since the 1999-00 season. Florida Southern improved to 4-0 over Merrimack with the win
Up Next
Merrimack returns to the Jenkins Field House for its final game of the Terrace Hotel Classic tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m. when the Warriors face Saint Leo.
