THE BASICS:

- Score: Merrimack 70, Assumption 55

- Records: Assumption (6-18, 2-17 NE-10) Merrimack (14-11, 9-10 NE-10)

- Location: Worcester, Mass. (Laska Gym)

- The Lead: On Wednesday night at Laska Gym, the Assumption College men's basketball team dropped a 70-55 home final to visiting Merrimack College in Northeast-10 Conference action.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

- In the first half, the Hounds surged out to an early lead and with 5:55 left in the opening period, the Hounds led 29-22 after a jumper from freshman starter Justin Tuckson (Stafford, Va./Christ Chapel Academy). After a defensive stop on the other end, the Hounds stretched the lead to double figures on a three from senior Julian Aiken (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) that forced a Merrimack timeout with 5:21 on the clock.

- Assumption continued to lead by nine at 36-27 with 3:28 left before halftime after a layup from sophomore Kamali Bey (Springfield, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson Academy) before the Warriors closed the half on an 11-2 run. A layup from JT Strickland briefly gave the Warriors a two-point lead at 38-36 with 41 seconds left, but two Bey free throws made it 38-38 at the break.

- Merrimack opened the second half on an 11-1 run that was capped by a jumper from Anthony Barry with 15:11 remaining to lead by double figures at 49-39. The Warriors led by at least six the remainder of the way as Merrimack picked up the 70-55 win to sweep the regular-season series.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- Aiken led Assumption with 14 points, while Bey posted 13 points off the bench to go along with a team-high eight rebounds.

- The Hounds posted zero turnovers in the first half and just five for the game, while Merrimack held a 43-31 rebounding advantage.

- For Merrimack, Gelvis Solano led the Warriors with a game-high 19 points, while Troy Hammel added 18. Barry tallied 11 points, while James Kennedy finished with a game-best 14 rebounds.

UP NEXT:

- Assumption is back in action on Saturday, February 20th as the Hounds host Saint Michael's College for a 3 p.m. start on Senior Day. Prior to the game, the Hounds will honor seniors Julian Aiken, Darren Chew (Uniondale, N.Y./Saint Dominic), Tim Kasper (Cologne, Germany/Gymnasium Schloss Hagerhof) and Tre Owens (Rota, Spain/Rota).

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 men's basketball team and all of the other 23 Assumption varsity sports by clicking here.