Merrimack fights back, avoids second straight loss with OT win at Iona

By Ray Curren (@rjcurren.bsky.social)

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — On the surface, things weren’t too terrible for Merrimack, even with a tight loss Sunday afternoon against Iona. Yes, it would be the Warriors’ fourth straight defeat, but they were all by razor-thin margins and while any hopes of a MAAC regular season title would be gone, they would be in no danger of losing a first-round bye in the MAAC tournament.

But Budd Clark was having none of that.

Clark, held under wraps for most of the contest, scored 13 of his team’s last 16 points in regulation, including a tying jumper with four seconds left, then added five more in overtime as Merrimack—having never held the lead in the second half—stunned Iona at the Hynes Center, 77-70, in the first meeting between the two teams.

“It was life or death out there,” Clark said. “I was just going to do whatever I could to help us win the game.”

Iona’s lead never got bigger than eight, but when Luke Jungers hit a long three and Dejour Reaves followed with a mid-range jumper, the Gaels (12-16, 9-8 MAAC) led 58-51 with 1:30 left, and Merrimack (15-13, 12-5 MAAC) appeared done. However, Clark got fouled and made two free throws, and after an Iona turnover, Devon Savage made a three (of course, Clark assisted it) to make it 58-56. It was 60-58 with 16 seconds left when Justin Menard, 23-of-26 on the season from the line, missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Clark hit a jumper to tie the game.

Iona never got a shot off on the ensuing possession and Merrimack dominated the overtime. Clark finished with 27 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists as he solidified his case for MAAC Player of the Year, remarkable for a sophomore 5-foot-10 point guard that has only hit 14 three-pointers this season.

“We needed this one,” Merrimack coach Joe Gallo said. “Like I said to the guys, we’re playing well, we just haven’t got the results the last three games. To be able to win a close one, and they all seem to be close ones in this league, is big. There’s seeding implications, there’s bye implications. And Budd was just Budd down the stretch.”

Before the last 90 seconds of regulation, it was a very good day for the Gaels, playing without Adam Njie and Yaphet Moundi (head coach Tobin Anderson said after the game he hopes to have them both back next week). Iona, as it has for most of the season, struggled from the field, shooting just 36 percent from the field, but did hit 11-of-29 threes, and absolutely dominated the glass, finishing with 23 offensive rebounds.

“Budd Clark was tremendous. I thought our guys fought, it wasn’t pretty by any means,” Iona coach Tobin Anderson said. “I looked at Joey with eight minutes left and said, ‘We’ve been here before.’ (Anderson coached against Merrimack and Gallo while at FDU in the NEC, losing to the Warriors in the 2023 NEC final before FDU’s magical run.) It’s hard to play against their zone, especially missing guys. But we still had a chance to win. You have to score and you have to make free throws, and that’s all true, but we had to get one stop or grab one rebound and we couldn’t do it. We did enough to win, but no one is going to giftwrap it for you.”

Reaves, who was parked at the high post against Merrimack’s trusted 2-3 zone, scored 26 points, but Iona also got a massive game from sophomore Comeh Emuobor, who had a career-high 20 points and was responsible for most of the great defense on Clark in the first 35 minutes. But then it all went away in the final moments, dooming the Gaels to their third loss in four games with a trip to Buffalo looming next weekend. Iona currently sits in fifth, but with Manhattan, Sacred Heart, and Siena all within a game as they all look to avoid a Tuesday play-in game in the MAAC tournament.

“If you looked at it on paper and saw the boxscore and we were without guys, you might feel positive about it, but the way it played out, I feel miserable,” Anderson said. “The guys want to win, too, they feel the same way. But Merrimack is a great program, too. We have trouble scoring, that’s just a reality. Sometimes we let the lack of scoring affect our defense, but I thought today we were gritty for the most part. You wish it was easier on offense. That’s where missing Adam hurts us.”

Savage and Tye Dorset scored 12 points each for Merrimack, while Bryan Etumnu played all 45 minutes in the middle, finishing with just seven points, but adding nine rebounds and six blocks. The Warriors, who are 360th nationally in defensive rebounding (61.3 percent), know the zone makes them vulnerable on the glass, but need to make up for it in other ways, as Gallo has done so well in his tenure at Merrimack. His team still leads the MAAC in defensive efficiency, with Iona not too far behind in fourth, meaning despite their flaws, neither will be an easy out in Atlantic City.

“We didn’t write a whole lot on the board,” Gallo said. “It was just rebounds and take care of the ball, so we did half of those. In the second half, we only had four turnovers and these are two of the teams that cause the most turnovers in the country, so I was happy with that.”