NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Clark men's basketball team (1-0) traveled to DI Merrimack (1-1) on Thursday night and battled with the Warriors for 40 minutes, but fell 64-48 in an exhibition game from Hammel Court.

How it Happened

• Merrimack held an early 13-7 lead despite six points from sophomore Isaiah Taylor and a made free throw from junior Bruce Saintilus.
• There was then a three-minute stretch in which neither team scored in a defensive battle and sophomore Ian Calabrese buried a three-pointer to get within three at 13-10.
• The Warriors then went on an 11-2 run over the next four minutes with the Clark bucket coming from Saintilus and a three-pointer from Reid Neumann brought the Cougars back within nine.
• Merrimack took a 29-17 lead into the half and after the Warriors scored the first six points of the second half, Clark went on a 7-0 run sparked by a Neumann three-pointer and layups from junior Mikey O'Brien and sophomore Kekoa McArdle to make it a 35-24 game.
• A Taylor three and another O'Brien layup made it a single-digit game at 37-29 with 15:13 to go.
• The teams traded buckets over the next four minutes and a Saintilus three-pointer with 10:15 remaining in the half made it a 46-38 contest.
• Three more points from Saintilus and a made three-pointer from junior Jordan Richard got Clark within two at 46-44 with 7:31 to go.
• Neumann scored the Cougars next four points, including a three-pointer with 4:05 remaining to make it a 51-48 game, but the Warriors ended the game on a 13-0 run as Merrimack came away with a 64-48 victory.

Inside the Box Score

• The Cougars grabbed 35 rebounds, dished out 10 assists, and recorded nine steals in the game.
• Taylor led the team with 13 points and grabbed six rebounds.
• Saintilus added 11 points and a team-leading seven rebounds.
• Neumann was also in double-digits with 12 points.

What's Next

The Cougars will return to action on Saturday when they travel to Bates in a non-conference contest beginning at 2:00 p.m.