by jksander » Thu Dec 23, 2021 9:52 pm
November 28, 2021
Merrimack (4-0) @ Cincinnati (1-1)
Cincinnati scored the first six points and rushed out to a 13-7 lead with 12:13 to go in the first half. But our defensive mindset remained intact even while trailing, and slowly we clawed our way back in. With a Rashard Crosby three-point jump shot we pulled within two, down 27-29 with 1:19 left in the half, and we felt good going into the half down 31-35 because we knew we’d shown no quit. Eight of our players had scored at least a basket, and even though no one was having a star-making performance, we were still within four.
So of course the Bearcats did what they needed to do – they throttled us 9-1 in the first two minutes of play, and though we were having the game of our lives from beyond the arc, there’s no way this team keeps up in a shoot-out without defensive stops. We trailed 40-53 with 13:28 remaining in the game, and though we’d rallied to within nine points with five minutes to play, they’d had an answer for everything so far. They outlasted us down the stretch as we lost our first game of the season, 66-77.
Player of the Game: Sam Keating (12 pts 4 reb 2 ast)
Honorable Mentions: Mike Brown (14 pts 4 ast) B.J. Perine (10 pts 1 ast)
December 1, 2021
Delaware (1-3) @ Merrimack (4-1)
The fans came out in force tonight for our last home game until the day after Christmas, and it really helped boost our energy levels to be able to feel the presence of our fans as we fought our way to a 9-5 lead with 15:32 remaining in the first half. Though we didn’t break it wide open early, sans the presence of Ellis, I do like what I have seen from these young men as they prove we’re a team that fights together. With 7:11 to play we led 24-17, and though we weren’t able to get much separation down the stretch we still led 40-36 at the break. In the second half we stuck to our full-court press and dared them to break through. Instead we expanded our lead carefully, up 61-50 with 12:29 to play in the game. They never got close, as we were able to put them away quietly and efficiently to win 89-70.
Player of the Game: Mike Brown (24 pts 2 reb 6 ast)
Honorable Mention: Rashard Crosby (14 pts 6 reb 5 ast 2 stl)
December 5, 2021
Merrimack (5-1) @ #22 Brigham Young (6-1)
The Cougars are undefeated at home, and have only played a single road game, a neutral-court loss to #7 Duke by nine in the second round of the Preseason NIT. Like us they also have an overtime victory, a 96-90 win over then-#19 West Virginia, but they have nothing that matches our trio of road wins to open the season.
Of course we go into the game lacking our star center, who will miss at least half of this four-game road trip. So …
We fought hard early but the Cougars got out to a 13-22 lead on us with 11:06 to play in the first half, and I could tell we were gassed, though the team sure didn’t quit. We did, however, get blown away early and often. BYU had a 19-point lead on us with 5:11 to play, and they coasted into the half with a 32-47 lead. And though we got to within a dozen at least twice, BYU put us awy down the stretch, and in convincing fashion. We’d go on to lose this one 73-89 as we fell to 5-2.
Player of the Game: Mike Brown (15 pts 1 reb 7 ast)
Honorable Mention: B.J. Perine (12 pts 6 reb 1 ast 1 stl 1 blk)
December 8, 2021
Merrimack (5-2) @ #20 Saint Mary’s (6-1)
We built an 8-3 lead on the Gaels in the first three minutes, but we got into early foul trouble and let them get into the bonus with over 13 minutes left in the half, which was a potential disaster. Though they tied it 13-13 at that point, it wasn’t until the 10:28 mark that we surrendered the lead 14-15, to the roaring approval of their fans. A 6-0 run for the Gaels over the next three minutes put us in some trouble, but we kept fighting through our shooting drought. Slowly the Gaels’ lead, which had ballooned to 12, began to shrink again. With 3:05 to play in the half we pulled within five, down 22-27, thanks to a Crosby three! Less than a minute later it was another triple, this time by Mike Brown, that tied it 27-27 and cleared the slate. A jumper at the buzzer gave them a 28-29 halftime lead, but we’d made our presence known.
Sam Keating hit a three of his own with 18:19 to play, giving us the lead back 32-30, but we gave up a fast-break dunk that tied it again seconds later. This seemed destined to be a fight to the finish, as both teams were throwing punches and landing them. Slowly we worked our lead back to four, up 39-35 with 14 minutes remaining, and for once our defense seemed to have them stymied. Suddenly we had THEM in foul trouble, and our lead grew – up 47-35 with 10:09 to play! But they clawed their way back in, making it a mere 51-47 lead for our Warriors with just 2:33 left on the clock. Our worst nightmare ensued, with the Gaels scoring six points unanswered to take a 51-53 lead with just 1:20 left on the clock. We managed to tie it 55-55 on a pair of free-throws by Rashard Crosby with six seconds left, but we didn’t get back into the press quickly enough, and they got off a buzzer beater from the half court line that sunk us. Final score: Saint Mary’s 58, Merrimack 55.
Player of the Game: Sam Keating (14 pts 4 reb 1 stl 2 blk)
Honorable Mention: Rashard Crosby (13 pts 4 reb 1 ast)
December 12, 2021
Merrimack (5-3) @ Washington (6-2)
Ellis returns to the lineup just in time for a key matchup against Washington of the Pac 12 on the road. After tonight we have a week off before our last road game of the pre-conference slate, followed by a post-Christmas home game … a more relaxed end to what has started out as an unbelievably difficult yet rewarding season.
Washington got out to an 8-2 lead on us before we rallied to tie it 8-8 with 15:21 to play in the first half. The craziest thing about that rally was that Brown scored all eight points, really keeping us in this fight while Ellis found his footing. Brown stayed incredibly hot, hitting a three to put us up 15-14 with 11:18 to go, giving him 13 of our 15 points to that moment. But we struggled to find anyone else on our team to add fuel to the offense, until Ellis dunked it with 7:12 to play, making it a 17-19 game. We had to stick with our defense-minded play and hold out hope that the shots would fall later. We’d go into the half trailing the Huskies 25-30.
We played well to start the second half, and a triple by Mike Brown off a Sam Keating assist pulled us within two, down 33-35. Rashard Crosby nailed a triple that gave us a 41-38 lead with 9:55 to play, and moments later Sam Keating stole an errant pass, dished it to Joel Mattox, setting up a perfect dunk to make it a five point lead with 9:37 remaining. From there it was nailbitingly close as our defenders did everything within their power to keep us in this game despite our lack of offensive prowess. With 4:03 to play we were knotted 50-50, and it went all the way down to the final seconds before Mike Brown made a 14-foot jumper to put us up 62-61 with eight seconds left! Memories of our loss at Saint Mary’s flashed before our eyes, but this time Washington MISSED their buzzer-beater and we escaped with a critical road win!
Player of the Game: Mike Brown (25 pts 1 reb 1 ast)
Honorable Mention: Bill Ellis (13 pts 13 reb 2 ast 3 stl)
December 19, 2021
Merrimack (6-3) @ Tarleton State (2-7)
We’re ranked 12th in the NET based on strength of schedule, but that may not be enough to help us in-conference to overcome the general weakness of our conference competition. Tonight’s road game against the struggling Tarleton State Texans is our last chance to get a non-conference road win, and we aim to take it for all its worth. We led from the opening tip, and in a faster-paced start for both sides, we held a 17-13 lead with 14:31 to play in the half. This time it was Ellis’ chance to come out and score like a maniac, and the rest of the team stepped up to keep it going. Up 25-17 with 11:58 to play, Tarleton was left choking on the fumes from there as we coasted to lead 58-32 at the half (at which point Ellis already had 33 points 10 rebounds). From there it was a matter of what the margin would be. We went on to win with ease, 97-68.
Player of the Game: Bill Ellis (44 pts 15 reb 4 ast)
Honorable Mention: Mike Brown (20 pts 3 ast 1 stl)
December 26, 2021
Dixie State (4-8) @ Merrimack (7-3)
Bill Ellis just won his SECOND National Player of the Week award for his performance in last week’s game (to go with his massive performances in early November). Mike Brown meanwhile has a near lock on Freshman of the Year in the NEC at this point, having won two Freshman of the Week awards in a row to go with HIS massive performances in early November. What a pair of fun players we have on this team making offense happen even as we crack down on teams with our full-court defense!
Dixie State came out and tried to beat us at our own game. After some back and forth early, both defenses tightened and we held a 15-14 lead on them with 11:48 to play. But our offense held its own, and despite their best efforts they couldn’t quite slow us. With 4:50 to go we led 31-25, and by halftime the margin was 14, us leading 45-31. Ellis caught fire in the second half, easily getting his double-double as he pushed us toward another blowout win. We led 67-52 with 10:17 to play, and we won this one decisively in the end 97-74.
Player of the Game: Bill Ellis (43 pts 12 reb 4 ast)
Honorable Mentions: Joel Mattox (12 pts 6 reb) Mike Brown (10 pts 1 reb)