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PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Freshman Ace Bailey played a pivotal role in leading the No. 24 Rutgers Scarlet Knights to a 74-63 victory against Merrimack on Wednesday evening, scoring an impressive 23 points and securing 10 rebounds.
This marks Rutgers’ second consecutive wire-to-wire victory, as they previously triumphed over Monmouth with a score of 98-81 last Friday. Freshman teammate Dylan Harper also contributed significantly by adding 14 points and pulling down eight rebounds along with providing six assists throughout the game.
For Merrimack, Adam Clark was the standout performer, notching 22 points and dishing out six assists, while Sean Trumper contributed another 10 points for the team. In terms of shooting accuracy from beyond the arc, Rutgers fared better, hitting 7 of 17 attempts from three-point range (41%), in contrast to Merrimack’s struggles where they made only 4 of 24 shots from the same distance (17%).
Merrimack made a push late in the game, reducing the deficit to 65-58 with just under three minutes remaining. However, Rutgers quickly responded with a 7-0 run to regain control of the game.
Key takeaways from the matchup include the observation that Rutgers has comfortably navigated through its initial four home games but is now gearing up for a more challenging schedule. After traveling to Georgia for a game against Kennesaw State, the Scarlet Knights will head to Las Vegas to compete against Notre Dame and the No. 8 ranked Alabama in the upcoming Players Era Festival on November 26-27.
For Merrimack, Clark is emerging as a key scoring threat, averaging 21 points per game. However, in their first season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference following a move from the Northeast Conference, the Warriors will need to bolster their scoring to support Clark.
A significant moment in the game was highlighted by Bailey’s turnaround jumper, which extended Rutgers’ lead to 57-44, their largest margin at that point with just over eight minutes left on the clock.
One of the game’s critical statistics was the notable discrepancy at the free-throw line, where Rutgers converted 17 of 23 attempts compared to Merrimack’s flawless 7 of 7.
Looking ahead, Merrimack will play against Butler on Friday, while Rutgers prepares to face Kennesaw State on Sunday.
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