No. 22 Merrimack Defeats Concordia 95-81 in Season Debut

WALTHAM, Mass.- The No. 22 Merrimack men’s basketball team posted a 95-81 victory over Concordia (N.Y.) Friday evening as part of the Bentley Tip-Off Classic to start the year. The Warriors are off to a 1-0 start to the season while the Clippers fall to 0-1 on the year.

The Warriors shot 53.7% from the field and 40.9% from behind the arc in the first game of the season. Senior Darin Mency (Hagerstown, Md.) poured in 32 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards. Mency also contributed six assists on the night. The co-captain went 12-for-25 from the field and knocked down five of his 13 attempts from downtown to start his senior campaign.

Roland Davis (Deer Park, N.Y.) turned in a 22-point performance while Wayne Mack (Paterson, N.J.) and Aaron Strothers (Wareham, Mass.) added 15 and 12 points, respectively. Davis and Mack each dished out five helpers for the Warriors.

Merrimack and Concordia traded buckets in the opening minutes of the game until the Warriors exploded for 15-consecutive points to take a 19-4 lead. Merrimack held a double-digit lead for the remainder of the first half, including a owning a 25-point margin with five minutes left in the period.

With three ticks left on the clock in the first half, Wilfredo Pagan (Lawrence, Mass.) set up freshman Kevin Regan (Philadelphia, Pa.) to lay-in hi s first collegiate points. Regan’s layup gave the Warriors a 55-33 edge at halftime.

After the break, Merrimack didn’t ease up on the pressure and maintained the commanding lead. The Clippers cut the deficit to 12 on two occasions but a trey and two free throws from Mency kept Concordia at bay.

“We got out to an early lead and that gave us some momentum in the beginning,” said head coach Bert Hammel. “Offensively, I felt that we played hard and consistently. Defensively, I thought that we came out strong but we let up a little in the second half.”

“A big win like this gives us some confidence for the remaining games. We’ll need that confidence to succeed this season,” added Hammel.

The Warriors shot 82.4% from the charity stripe in the contest. Mack, Mency, Strothers and Tyler Young (Brooklyn, N.Y.) were all perfect from on foul shots in the game.

Merrimack drained 40 points inside the paint while limiting Concordia to 30. The Warriors also posted 23 fast break points and 25 points off of turnovers.

The 95 points scored by Merrimack is the most in a season-opener since November 18, 2003 when the Warriors topped St. Anselm 99-84.

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