BOX SCORE

WALTHAM, Mass. (November 11, 2011) - Bloomfield's men's basketball team fell to 0-1 on the young season Friday evening, as they dropped an 87-79 decision to non-conference opponent Merrimack College in the first game of the annual Bentley University Tournament.

Taking the floor for the first time as the defending East Regional champions, the Deacons fell behind midway through the opening half, as a 12-4 Merrimack run gave the Warriors a 25-17 lead with 8:17 to play.  But Bloomfield would remain within striking distance, eventually closing the gap and knotting the score with 12 seconds to play in the frame on a three-pointer by Terry Hicks (Neptune, N.J.) to send the sides into the intermission knotted at 36.

It would prove to be the closest the Deacons would come to picking up their first victory of the season, however, as Merrimack would engineer a 13-2 run in the early stages of the second half to take a 66-52 lead.  Bloomfield would claw back to within a single bucket at 79-77 with 1:37 to play, but Merrimack would withstand the hard charge, closing the game with an 8-2 run to hand the Deacons a tough neutral site loss to open the 2011 campaign.

Hicks netted a team-high 20 points on 7-15 shooting in the loss, connecting on six of his 12 three-point attempts to go with his four assists.  Senior forward Matt Wafula (Harlem, N.Y.) posted a double-double in the setback, totaling 18 points and 12 rebounds, while point guard Ahmad Harris (Linden, N.J.) tallied 13 points, eight assists and a pair of steals to go with four rebounds.  Sophomore forward Kevin Udo (West Orange, N.J.) came off the bench to notch eight points and 12 rebounds, while Michael Rotando (Point Pleasant Beach, N.J.)  tallied 12 points on 4-9 shooting from beyond the arc.

Bloomfield returns to action Saturday, November 12 with a road contest against non-conference opponent Bentley University in the team's second leg of the Bentley University Tournament.  Tip-off for the contest is set for 8:00 PM.