Merrimack men's hoops falls to BU on late 3-pointer

Mac Cerullo, The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
·2 min read

Nov. 29—Trailing by two with time winding down, Boston University's Javante McCoy knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds left to beat Merrimack men's basketball 61-60.

Merrimack led for much of the second half, including by as much as 12 with 16:14 to play, but BU fought back and got within striking distance in the final minutes.

A layup by Merrimack's Jordan Minor made it 60-56 with 46 seconds left, but the Terriers got a pair of free throws by Sukhmail Mathon and then the Warriors missed the front end of their ensuing one-and-one. That gave BU an opportunity to tie or win the game on the final possession, and McCoy hit the game-winning three down the other end.

Merrimack would end up getting one last look, but Ziggy Reid's three missed at the final buzzer.

Prior to the dramatic last minute, Merrimack and BU had gone back and forth throughout the first half. The Terriers led as much as 19-10 before the Warriors pushed ahead and took a 37-30 halftime lead.

The Terriers closed the gap in the second half with an 8-0 run to make it 42-38, but outside of one short stretch where BU briefly got within three, they did not get within one possession of Merrimack until the final two minutes.

Minor led the Warriors with a team-high 16 points and seven rebounds, Reid had 12 points with two 3-pointers and Mikey Watkins had 11 points, six assists and four steals. McCoy had a game-high 20 points to lead BU and Mathon had 17 points and six rebounds.

Merrimack (4-4) next hosts UMass Lowell on Saturday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m.