Recap | Boxscore

Feb 14, 2009

Men’s Basketball Downs Pace 85-71

PLEASANTVILLE, NJ – The Merrimack men’s basketball team, ranked fifth in the east region, picked up its second straight win with an 85-71 victory over Pace University Saturday afternoon.

Merrimack (17-7, 13-6 NE-10) moves into a three-way tie for third place along with Stonehill and Assumption. The Warriors, who are one win short of tying the school record for conference wins in a season of 14 set in 1990-91, finish the regular season at Saint Rose on Wednesday and then with home games against Southern Connecticut and New Haven. The top four teams in the Northeast-10 receive first-round byes in the Northeast-10 Tournament.

The game was close early on with the teams tied at 21, but the Warriors used a 13-6 run to close the half to take a 34-27 lead into the locker room.

The Warriors put the game away midway through the second half using a 9-2 run to turn a six-point lead into a 13-point advantage at 54-41. Five different Warriors scored during the run, including Dee Mency (Hagerstown, MD) who picked up a steal and dunked it home. Back-to-back baskets from Wayne Mack (Paterson, NJ) and Aaron Strothers (Wareham, MA) with eight minutes remaining opened the Warriors lead to 15 at 62-47.

Five Warriors scored in double-figures, led by Mency, who tallied 17 points in only 24 minutes before fouling out. Darren Duncan (Briarwood, NY) added 18 and seven assists, despite shooting just 2-of-11 from the field, while Strothers registered his first career double-double on 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds in 33 minutes. Mack tallied 13 on 5-of-7 shooting, while Roland Davis (Deer Park, NY) finished with 16. The visitors were solid from the free throw line, making 26-of-30 led by Duncan who was 14-of-16 at the line.

Merrimack’s defense stymied the Setters (9-15, 7-12 NE-10), who shot 39% from the field and from the free-throw line (15-of-33 for 45%). The Warriors outscored Pace 20-12 in second-chance opportunities.

Duncan, who is just one of two point guards from Division II to be a finalist for the Cousy Award, set the school record for free throws attempts in a season Saturday with 244. The previous record was 235, set by Paul Neal in the 1988-89 season. Neal made 199 free throws that season, ten more than Duncan after today’s game. Duncan, who now has 491 free throws in 644 attempts in his career, is closing in on Neal’s record marks of 492 makes in 650 attempts.


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 Feb 14, 2009 Men’s Basketball Downs Pace 85-71 Boxscore PLEASANTVILLE, NJ – The Merrimack men’s basketball team, ranked fifth in the east region, picked up its second straight win with an 85-71 victory over Pace University Saturday afternoon. Merrimack (17-7, 13-6 NE-10) moves into a three-way tie for third place along with Stonehill and Assumption. The Warriors, who are one win short of tying the school record for conference wins in a season of 14 set in 1990-91, finish the regular season at Saint Rose on Wednesday and then with home games against Southern Connecticut and New Haven. The top four teams in the Northeast-10 receive first-round byes in the Northeast-10 Tournament. The game was close early on with the teams tied at 21, but the Warriors used a 13-6 run to close the half to take a 34-27 lead into the locker room. The Warriors put the game away midway through the second half using a 9-2 run to turn a six-point lead into a 13-point advantage at 54-41. Five different Warriors scored during the run, including Dee Mency (Hagerstown, MD) who picked up a steal and dunked it home. Back-to-back baskets from Wayne Mack (Paterson, NJ) and Aaron Strothers (Wareham, MA) with eight minutes remaining opened the Warriors lead to 15 at 62-47. Five Warriors scored in double-figures, led by Mency, who tallied 17 points in only 24 minutes before fouling out. Darren Duncan (Briarwood, NY) added 18 and seven assists, despite shooting just 2-of-11 from the field, while Strothers registered his first career double-double on 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds in 33 minutes. Mack tallied 13 on 5-of-7 shooting, while Roland Davis (Deer Park, NY) finished with 16. The visitors were solid from the free throw line, making 26-of-30 led by Duncan who was 14-of-16 at the line. Merrimack’s defense stymied the Setters (9-15, 7-12 NE-10), who shot 39% from the field and from the free-throw line (15-of-33 for 45%). The Warriors outscored Pace 20-12 in second-chance opportunities. Duncan, who is just one of two point guards from Division II to be a finalist for the Cousy Award, set the school record for free throws attempts in a season Saturday with 244. The previous record was 235, set by Paul Neal in the 1988-89 season. Neal made 199 free throws that season, ten more than Duncan after today’s game. Duncan, who now has 491 free throws in 644 attempts in his career, is closing in on Neal’s record marks of 492 makes in 650 attempts.