ORONO- Adam Clark scored 17 of his game-high 19 points in the second half on Sunday evening, leading the Merrimack College Warriors to a hard fought 71-65 win over the Maine Black Bears in non-conference men’s basketball action in the Pit at Memorial Gymnasium.
The zone defense that Merrimack is known for gave Maine a really difficult time in stretches. The Black Bears started the first half 0-6 from the floor, and the Warriors would eventually build the biggest lead of the basketball game at 25-16 with 4:18 left until halftime. The hosts came to life though in that final 4:18, sparked by senior guard Ja’Shonte Wright-McLeish. Wright-McLeish knocked down a trio of three-pointers and scored 11 of the last 13 points for his team, as Maine finished the opening 20 minutes on a 13-3 run to take a 29-28 lead into the break. A layup by Jaden Clayton and a jumper by Kellen Tynes gave the Black Bears (1-2) their biggest lead of the evening 33-28 early in the second half (17-3 run overall). Merrimack answered back with six straight points to take the lead back 34-33, one of 13 lead changes in the second half. The Warriors extended their advantage to 51-46 with 10:00 to play on two free throws Samba Diallo, but Maine continued to fight back. Wright-McLeish gave the home team their final lead by hitting three foul shots after being fouled on a three-pointer with 3:54 to go. Clark and the guests from MC were too much down the stretch. Clark converted a three point play with 2:46 left, and also hit 4-5 from the line down the stretch to ice the road win for the Warriors from the Northeast Conference.
Wright-McLeish led Maine in the loss with 17 points (4-6 three-pointers). Kristians Feierbergs and Peter Filipovity both had 12 points. Feierbergs also had seven rebounds. Tynes would finish with 11 points, four assists, and five steals. Along with the 19 points from Clark, Diallo had 14 and Devon Savage had 11 to lead Merrimack (2-1) in the win. Maine now heads to Florida to compete in a multiple team event on the campus of University of North Florida in Jacksonville. The Black Bears play three games in three days beginning Thursday at 4 p.m. against Northwestern State University. They also face Presbyterian College and the University of North Florida on Thursday and Friday respectively.
Recap/photos/videos by Chris Lessner
