Merrimack stuns Northwestern 71-61 behind Jensen, Hayes

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — As far as Merrimack coach Joe Gallo is concerned, there's no substitute for experience — regardless of the level of college basketball.

That's why Gallo believed his team had a chance on Friday night despite playing just its second game as a Division I program.

Devin Jensen had 23 points and Juvaris Hayes had 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, lifting Merrimack to a stunning 71-61 victory over Northwestern.

Merrimack (1-1) trailed 55-50 with 9½ minutes remaining before taking command with a 17-4 run to open a 67-59 advantage with just under a minute to go.

Hayes, a two-time Division II All-American, had nine points during the run and controlled the game.

"There's a lot that goes into winning games at any level," Gallo said, "and I told Juvaris, 'This isn't that big of a deal. I don't care what division you were playing last year. You won more games the last three years than anyone on their roster combined — and that doesn't happen by mistake.

"He's had poise down the stretch in a lot of wins for our program and he carried that over today."

Merrimack lost 84-64 in its opener Wednesday at Maine.

Pete Nance had 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead Northwestern in its season opener.

Northwestern lost its top three scorers from last season — Vic Law (15 points per game), Dererk Pardon (14) and Ryan Taylor (9.8) — and played three freshmen and two redshirt freshmen on Friday. The Wildcats struggled to find consistency on offense. The two most-experienced returnees, Anthony Gaines and A.J. Turner, combined for just eight points on 3-for-9 shooting.

Northwestern managed just 26 points on 10-for-30 shooting in the second half.

"It's very disappointing, but we're not going to quit," Wildcats coach Chris Collins said. "It's the first game of the year."

NU's Miller Kopp scored the game's first eight points to get Northwestern off to a fast start, but Merrimack rallied for a 26-24 lead on a 3-pointer by Ziggy Reid with just over eight minutes left in the first half.

Jensen had 17 first-half points as Merrimack took a 36-35 halftime lead.

Northwestern opened a five-point lead on two occasions in the second half, but Merrimack kept rallying.

"It was a championship-like atmosphere in there," Hayes said of the postgame locker room. "This is the closest thing we're going to get to like competing in the postseason, so we're just going to enjoy every moment of this victory."

BIG PICTURE

Merrimack: The Warriors had a lot of success recently on the Division II level and showed they can compete on the Division I level in this one. They clearly were the more-poised team down the stretch. The Warriors are in the process of joining the Northeast Conference and will play a full conference schedule this season but will not be eligible for the postseason.

Northwestern: Nearly three years removed from a 20-12 record and the school's first appearance in the NCAA tournament, the Wildcats are in the early stages of a massive rebuild and will be hard pressed to match last season's 13 wins.

OPENING BLUES

Northwestern is young, so the struggles were no surprise. What surprised Collins was a lack of intensity throughout.

"The first game is always tough," the coach said. "Honestly, I think that was to Merrimack's advantage. They had already had a game under their belts and got rid of those opening jitters. I was kind of worried about that a little bit, especially because we had a lot of guys playing in their first college game."

UP NEXT

Merrimack plays Dartmouth on Nov. 15 at Lowell, Mass.

Northwestern hosts Providence on Wednesday as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games.

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