The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team fell 64-57 to Northeast Conference host, Merrimack College, Friday evening in North Andover, Mass. The Pioneers fall to 16-12 on the year and 9-6 in league play, while Warriors improve to 19-10 on the season and 13-13 in league play.

Jare'l Spellman finished with a double-double, scoring 14 points and collecting 10 rebounds to pace the Pioneers. Aaron Clarke scored a team-best 15 points.

The Pioneers are back in action on Sunday, when they travel to Bryant for a 1:00 p.m. game.

Turning Point

• Merrimack shot 9-14 from behind the three-point line in the second-half
• After Spellman made a pair of free throws with 12:33 to play, to make the score 39-34, Juvaris Hayes drained a three and went coast-t-coast after a teal, to expand the lead to 10

Pioneer Points

• Spellman recorded his sixth double-double of the season and blocked two shots
• Koreem Ozier returned to double figures with 10 points, hitting 3-5 from behind the arc
• E.J. Anosike collected a game-best 16 rebounds, and scored eight points

By the Numbers

• Hayes scored a game-high 22 points, hitting 4-8 from behind the arc
• SHU finished with a 44-28 advantage in rebounds
• Merrimack shot 12-26 from behind the arc of the game and shot 42.3 percent from the field
• Merrimack finished with an 18-7 advantage in fast break points and a 19-5 edge in points off of turnover
• The Pioneers committed 21 turnovers and made a season-low 16 field goals

First-Half

• Anosike tallied a pair of free throws at 17:51, to open the scoring
• LaRose scored in transition, after an Ozier steal, at 16:52, to give SHU a 4-2 advantage
• Spellman hit a spinner on the baseline, at 14:52, from a LaRose feed, for the 6-4 lead
• Spellman with the two-handed ham at 12:33, made the run 4-0
• Lord ended a scoreless drought with two free throws at 12:12 and Mykel Derring hit 1-2 at the line, to cut the Pioneer deficit to 8-7
• Merrimack took its first lead of the game, 9-8, on a Minor layup at 11:11, snapping an 0-4 stretch from the field for the Warriors
• Chaylyn Martin made both free throws 20 seconds later, for the Pioneers
• Hayes gave the Warriors their first lead, 11-10, on a layup at the 10:30 mark
• Spellman collected a missed three and laid it in, to end the Warriors 4-0 run at 9:25
• Hayes hit from distance at the 8:18 mark for a 16-12 advantage
• Anosike hit a free throw at 7:11, to bring the Pioneers within three, 16-13, and then Ozier tied the game at 5:55, with a three pointer as the shot clock expired
• Another Ozier three 2:39 later put the Pioneers in front 21-19
• Merrimack answered with a 7-2 run, capped by a Mykel Watkins fast break basket with 30 seconds left in the half and a 26-23 lead
• Clarke tied hit a fall-away three with seven seconds left in the half, sending the teams to the locker room tied, 26-26

Second-Half

• The Warriors recorded two steals and four points in the first 52 seconds of the half, to take a 30-26 advantage
• Ozier made a free throw at 17:43 for the first points of the half for the Pioneers
• Watkins hit a three from the top of the arc 17:08, and a minute later Ozier ended the Pioneers 0-3 field goal drought to open the half, with a three of his own, to make the score 33-30
• Three-pointers from Devin Jensen (15:04) and Hayes (14:20) expanded the lead to nine, 39-30
• Spellman ended the Warriors run with a runout dunk, at 13:16, ending a nearly 4:00 Pioneer scoring drought
• Spellman made a pair of free throws at 12:33, to make his personal run, 4-0 and bring the Pioneers within five points
• Hayes answered with a three at 12:12 and then a steal and a coast-to-coast basket to push the advantage to 44-34 with 11:35 remaining
• The Pioneers would not get closer than six the remainder of the way
• Merrimack hit 4-5 from the free throw line down the stretch to secure the win