Dec 22, 2008
Late Rally Fuels 83-77 Win for Men’s Basketball
RINDGE, NH – The Merrimack men’s basketball team,
who continues to receive votes in the NABC Division II National
Poll, used a 28-9 run late in the second half to overcome a
12-point deficit to defeat Franklin Pierce 83-77 Monday
afternoon.
Merrimack trailed 50-43 with 9:43 remaining in regulation but took
a 54-52 lead behind two three-pointers from Craig Woehnker
(Colts Neck, NJ). They extended the lead to as much as 12,
at 71-59 with 3:15 remaining, led by 14 free throws from junior
captain Darren Duncan (Briarwood, NY) who tallied
a game-high 26 points and eight assists. Sophomore Darin
Mency (Hagerstown, MD) added four three-pointers and 24
points in the win.
The Warriors led for most of the first half, but the Ravens closed
out the first 20 minutes with a 17-6 run to grab a five-point
halftime lead.
But Merrimack shot 47% from the field in the second half, including
50% from behind the arc on 5-of-10 shooting and 75% from the free
throw line and scored 51 points in the final 20 minutes for the
comeback road victory.
Woehnker finished with 10 points off the bench while freshman
Wayne Mack (Paterson, NJ) chipped in with 15 in 34
minutes.
The Warriors had no answer for Ravens forward Rimas Varanauskas,
who scored 35 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Kinard Dozier also
had a double-double on 15 points and 10 rebounds as Franklin Pierce
outrebounded the Warriors 47-32.
Merrimack (7-1, 5-1 NE-10) will compete in the Bridgeport Holiday
Tournament against the host Purple Knights on December 29th at 4
p.m. and against Post University on December 30th at 4 p.m. The
Warriors return home to face rival Bentley University on January 6
at 7:30 p.m.
