Led by three players who finished in double figures, the No. 2 seed Merrimack College men’s basketball team defeated No. 7 seed Long Island University, 72-66, in the first round of the Northeast Conference Tournament.
With the win, Merrimack improves to 20-11 on the season and will now face No. 4 seed Le Moyne on Saturday in the semifinals back at Lawler Gymnasium for a 12 p.m. start. Central Connecticut and Wagner will square off in the other semifinal.
In the win, Merrimack trailed 36-32 with 3:21 left in the first half before closing it out outscoring LIU 11-3 to go up by four at 43-39. Merrimack kept the lead throughout the second half but did get a scare late as Long Island cut the deficit to four with a minute remaining.
For Merrimack, Jordan Derkack once again led the way with 23 points, while adding 10 rebounds as part of his double-double. Adam Clark finished with 18 points and 7 boards and Samba Diallo chipped in with 10 points.
Merrimack cleans up on awards
On Tuesday, it was announced that Merrimack earned seven postseason awards as announced by the conference. Jordan Derkack led the way for the Warriors, earning NEC Player and Defensive Player of the Year, as well as NEC First-Team honors. Derkack is the second player in two years to win both Player and Defensive Player of the Year. Adam “Budd” Clark was awarded NEC Rookie of the Year, Second Team All-NEC, and NEC All-Rookie Team. Clark is also the second freshman point guard to earn Rookie of the Year. Finally, Bryan Etumnu earned NEC Most Improved Player for the 2023-24 season. He is the first Warrior to receive this award.