NORTH ANDOVER, MA – Northeast-10 Conference co-leader Merrimack College outscored The College of Saint Rose 31-4 throughout an eight minute span late in the second half to quash any doubts of an upset in an 83-66 victory against the Golden Knights this evening.
Saint Rose appeared poised for an upset by virtue of a 55-47 lead with 12:41 to play, but the Warriors (14-3/10-2 NE-10) caught fire and built a 78-59 advantage with 4:28 remaining on the way to their fifth victory in the last six outings. Merrimack shot a blistering 52.6 percent (10-for-19) from 3-point territory and turned 12 Saint Rose turnovers into 17 points throughout the second stanza.
Junior guard
Jermaine Clark tossed in 27 points and knocked down four, 3-pointers to jump three spots into seventh place on the College's all-time list with 154 for his career. Senior guard
Josh Pelletier had 12 points to go with three rebounds and a pair of assists to help the Golden Knights (7-11/5-8 NE-10) cause.
Junior guard Darren Duncan finished with 15 points and tied his career-high with 13 assists to pace Merrimack, which went just beyond its league leading scoring average of 81.1 points coming into tonight. Sophomore guard Darin Mency had a team-high 21 points and freshman guard Roland Davis finished with 19 points in 20 minutes of reserve duty. Another rookie guard in Wayne Mack contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
The first half was a see-saw affair with four ties and 12 lead changes that concluded with the Warriors clinging to a 35-34 lead after Saint Rose had shot 52.0 percent (13-for-25) from the floor, including 85.7 percent (6-for-7) from long range, and held the Warriors to 33.3 percent (11-for-33) shooting.
Saint Rose then opened the second period with a 7-2 spurt that put the Golden Knights ahead by six, 43-37, after Clark hit a jumper and drained a pair of free throws. Saint Rose led by at least six points on five occasions during the next five minutes, but the Warriors rattled off four consecutive treys to seize control. Junior guard Craig Woehnker's 3-pointer at the 8:51 mark put Merrimack ahead to stay, 60-57 with 8:15 remaining.
Both clubs are scheduled to continue their respective NE-10 slates this Saturday. Saint Rose visits Southern Connecticut State for a 3:30 pm start in New Haven, while Merrimack has a 3:00 pm home date with fellow co-league leader Stonehill, which upended the Warriors earlier this season.
Box Score
