North Andover, Mass. (December 7) -- Powered by a career-high 27-point effort from freshman guard Marcus Murray (Silver Spring, Md./John F. Kennedy), the Assumption College men's basketball team defeated Merrimack College by a 75-66 final at Bert Hammel Court on Saturday afternoon.

After being tied at 12-12 just over five minutes in, the Hounds used seven quick points from Murray to go on a 13-5 run and jump out to a 25-17 advantage.  Assumption continued to push the pace and extended the lead into double digits at 33-22 with 5:20 left following a layup from freshman Jack Sullivan (Stony Point, N.Y./Albertus Magnus). Merrimack used a 6-0 run late in the period to cut the lead to seven before a three from the corner by Julian Aiken (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) and a layup from junior captain Jimmy Zenevitch (Methuen, Mass./Central Catholic) sent the game into the break at 40-28. The Hounds shot 60 percent from the field in the half, led by 14 points each from Murray and Zenevitch.

Assumption pushed ahead  by a 14-point margin to open the second period before an 11-0 Merrimack run, capped by a three from Gelvis Solano, pulled the Warriors to within one possession at 42-39 with 16:12 left. The Hounds answered though to extend the lead back to double digits as the visitors led by at least four the rest of the way to pull out the team's first Northeast-10 victory of the season.

Murray led all scorers with his 27-point effort as he also added six assists and two steals while playing all 40 minutes. Zenevitch posted his third double-double of the season with an 18-point, 10-rebound effort, along with a career-high 11 points from Aiken. Overall, the Hounds bench players outscored the Merrimack reserves by a convincing 20-3 margin.

For the Warriors, all five starters finished in double figures as the hosts were led by a 16-point effort from Anthony Barry, who also had a team-high eight rebounds.

With the win, Assumption improves to 2-8 overall and 1-5 in the Northeast-10, while Merrimack falls to 5-3 overall and 3-3 in league play.

Assumption is back in action on Tuesday, December 10th as the Hounds host Southern New Hampshire University for a 7:30 p.m. start at Laska Gym.

For the latest on Assumption College Athletics, follow the Hounds via social media on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. For more information, contact the Office of Athletic Communications at 508-767-7240.