BOX SCORE WEST HAVEN, Conn. - The University of New Haven men's basketball team suffered a 85-74 loss to Merrimack College Saturday afternoon at Charger Gymnasium. New Haven fell to 10-3 overall and 6-3 in the Northeast-10 Conference with the loss. The Warriors improved to 7-6 on the season and 4-5 in conference play.

Justin Exum (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) score a game-high 22 points, while Jeremy Williams (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) added 21 points and nin rebounds. Eric Anderson (Newark, N.J./Newark Tech) led all players with 10 rebounds, while added five points and three blocks.

Merrimack went on an early run Saturday, scoring the game's first six points and holding a 12-4 lead just 4:30 into the first half. Ade Barek (London, England/West Catholic / Saint Petersburg College), Exum and Sean Harris (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Mount Vernon) sparked an 8-0 run for the Chargers who evened the scored a 12-12 off a Harris three-pointer at the 13:41 mark. The Warriors regained the lead and held on to a slight lead throughout a majority of the first half. Leading by one, 16-15 at the 11:28 mark, Merrimack went on a 14-2 run to take a commanding 30-17 lead with just over eight minutes left in the first half. Improving their lead to as many as 17 in the first half, Merrimack cruised to a 41-27 lead the break.

The Warriors maintained a comfortable lead for the entire second half. The Chargers small runs were not sustained and the Warriors answered each attempt the Chargers' made. New Haven would not get within 10 points until the final 30-seconds and an Exum three-pointer made the score 79-70. Merrimack made 8-of-8 free throws in the final 35-seconds and held on for their seventh win of the season..

New Haven trailed 36-40 in the rebound category and 12-8 in turnovers. Merrimack attempts 29 free throws compared to 15 for UNH. Merrimack held a heavy advantage in points off turnovers, 20-4, and also held a 30-26 advantage in points in the point.

New Haven will return to action on Wednesday, January 11 when Franklin Pierce University travels to Charger Gymnasium. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. For complete coverage of Saturday's game, log on to www.NewHavenChargers.com.