THE BASICS:

- Score: Merrimack 85, Assumption 68

- Records: Assumption (5-7, 1-6 NE-10) Merrimack (7-6, 2-5 NE-10)

- Location: North Andover, Mass. (Hammel Court)

- The Lead: On Saturday afternoon at Hammel Court, the Assumption College men's basketball team dropped an 85-68 final to Merrimack College in Northeast-10 Conference play. The game marked the first contest of 2016 for the Hounds.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- Junior Declan Soukup (Melbourne, Australia/Hallam Senior College) led the Hounds with 18 points, while sophomore Kamali Bey (Springfield, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson Academy) had 16 points. Each had a team-best five rebounds, while Soukup posted six assists.

- All five Merrimack starters finished in double figures, led by an 18-point, nine-rebound effort from Gelvis Solano.

- Overall, the Hounds outscored Merrimack by a 39-24 margin in three-point scoring, while the Warriors held a 39-27 edge on the boards.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

- The Warriors led from the outset, but Assumption cut the lead to just one at 15-14 with 11:25 left in the first half on a three from senior Julian Aiken (Randolph, N.J./Randolph). Merrimack answered though and made it a double-digit lead for the first time at 33-22 with 4:55 remaining, en route to the 45-34 lead at the half. JT Strickland hit the layup for the hosts for the 33-22 lead, while Soukup scored in the final seconds of the opening period for the 11-point halftime margin.

- Merrimack's Solano stretched the advantage to 20 at 57-37 with 15:42 left in the game before the Hounds cut it to 64-49 just 4:20 later. A decisive 15-5 run proved to be the difference for Merrimack though as the Warriors came away with the 17-point final.

UP NEXT:

- Assumption returns home on Wednesday, January 6th as the Hounds host American International for a 7:30 p.m. start at Laska Gym.

STAY CONNECTED:

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

- Fans can also sign up for email updates and text message alerts for the women's basketball team and all of the other 23 Assumption varsity sports by clicking here.