Recap | Boxscore

Jan 31, 2009

Men’s Basketball Edged by Bentley in First Place Showdown

WALTHAM, MA – Darren Duncan (Briarwood, NY) scored 23 points and added nine assists, but the Merrimack men’s basketball team was edged by Bentley University 86-79 Saturday afternoon in a first place showdown at the Dana Center.

The loss drops the Warriors (15-5, 11-4 NE-10) into a tie for third place with Stonehill, while Bentley remains in first place tied with UMass Lowell. Assumption is in second place with a 12-4 record in the Northeast-10 but has played an extra game thus far.

After a 9-3 run by the Falcons capped off with a three from Lew Finnegan, the hosts took the 74-66 lead. But Merrimack responded, scoring the next eight points, five of them from Duncan including a three to deadlock the game at 74. Moments later, Duncan drove to the hoop and hit a lay-up to give the Warriors the 77-76 lead with 2:59 to play.

But Bentley used an 8-0 run with Jason Westrol scoring seven points in the final 2:50 to put the game away. The Falcons scored 10 of the final 12 points in the game to improve to 12-3 in the conference.

The Warriors started well, taking an early 22-14 lead behind a jumper from Duncan. But the Falcons closed the half on an 11-2 run to take a 40-36 lead into the locker room. Bentley outscored the Warriors 13-3 in the first half on second chance opportunities and 21-5 in the game.

In the second half, the Falcons scored nine straight points to build an 11-point lead at 58-47 after a steal and lay-up from Brian Tracey. But the Warriors did not quit as Darin Mency (Hagerstown, MD) drained a three to cut the lead to 65-63 with 7:35 to play.

Duncan led all scorers with 23 points and nine assists. Mency added 17 on 6-of-12 shooting, while freshman Wayne Mack (Paterson, NJ) tallied 11 points. The Warriors shot 47.6% from the field and 45.8% from behind the arc.

Tracey led five Falcons in double figures with 22 points and added seven boards. Westrol tallied 18 points while Finnegan finished with 14 points as Bentley shot 53.3% from the field in the second half.

Merrimack (15-5, 11-4 NE-10) heads to Southern New Hampshire Wednesday for 7:30 p.m. game.


Cross Country (M) Cross Country (W) Field Hockey Football Soccer (M) Soccer (W) Volleyball Basketball (M) Basketball (W) Ice Hockey Baseball Lacrosse (M) Lacrosse (W) Softball Tennis (M) Tennis (W) Lawler Completion Project Athletic Staff Directory Blue Line Club Cheerleading Compliance Composite Calendar Directions Facilities From the AD's Desk Intramurals Marketing & Promotions Merrimack Championships Quick Facts Recruiting Questionnaires SAAC SID Downloads Sponsorship Sports Medicine Strength and Conditioning Visitors Guide	Home \| Roster \| 2009-10 Schedule \| Standings \| Statistics \| News \| Coaches \| 2009 Golf Tournament Info \| Record Book \| Watch Home Games Live \| Archives \| All-Time Results [Printer Friendly] Recap \| Boxscore Jan 31, 2009 Men’s Basketball Edged by Bentley in First Place Showdown Boxscore WALTHAM, MA – Darren Duncan (Briarwood, NY) scored 23 points and added nine assists, but the Merrimack men’s basketball team was edged by Bentley University 86-79 Saturday afternoon in a first place showdown at the Dana Center. The loss drops the Warriors (15-5, 11-4 NE-10) into a tie for third place with Stonehill, while Bentley remains in first place tied with UMass Lowell. Assumption is in second place with a 12-4 record in the Northeast-10 but has played an extra game thus far. After a 9-3 run by the Falcons capped off with a three from Lew Finnegan, the hosts took the 74-66 lead. But Merrimack responded, scoring the next eight points, five of them from Duncan including a three to deadlock the game at 74. Moments later, Duncan drove to the hoop and hit a lay-up to give the Warriors the 77-76 lead with 2:59 to play. But Bentley used an 8-0 run with Jason Westrol scoring seven points in the final 2:50 to put the game away. The Falcons scored 10 of the final 12 points in the game to improve to 12-3 in the conference. The Warriors started well, taking an early 22-14 lead behind a jumper from Duncan. But the Falcons closed the half on an 11-2 run to take a 40-36 lead into the locker room. Bentley outscored the Warriors 13-3 in the first half on second chance opportunities and 21-5 in the game. In the second half, the Falcons scored nine straight points to build an 11-point lead at 58-47 after a steal and lay-up from Brian Tracey. But the Warriors did not quit as Darin Mency (Hagerstown, MD) drained a three to cut the lead to 65-63 with 7:35 to play. Duncan led all scorers with 23 points and nine assists. Mency added 17 on 6-of-12 shooting, while freshman Wayne Mack (Paterson, NJ) tallied 11 points. The Warriors shot 47.6% from the field and 45.8% from behind the arc. Tracey led five Falcons in double figures with 22 points and added seven boards. Westrol tallied 18 points while Finnegan finished with 14 points as Bentley shot 53.3% from the field in the second half. Merrimack (15-5, 11-4 NE-10) heads to Southern New Hampshire Wednesday for 7:30 p.m. game.