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EMMITSBURG, Md. – Senior Juvaris Hayes of the Merrimack College men’s basketball team set a new NCAA career steals record on Sunday afternoon at Mount St. Mary’s, posting a four-steal performance to finish the night with 452 steals in his career. His 449th career theft broke the record, snapping a NCAA mark that stood for 17 years.

In the game that ensued, the Mountaineers handed the Warriors a 65-57 loss in Northeast Conference (NEC) play. Merrimack’s record dropped to 19-11 (13-4 NEC) while Mount St. Mary’s improved to 11-18 (7-9 NEC). With Merrimack and Robert Morris losing as well as Saint Francis winning, the Warriors maintained a half-game lead over the Red Flash in the NEC standings. With a win on Thursday, the Warriors guarantee at least a share of the NEC Regular Season Championship. A Merrimack win combined with a Saint Francis loss in either of its two remaining games gives the Warriors the outright NEC Regular Season title.

Hayes led Merrimack’s effort with 19 points, six assists and for steals. Freshman Ziggy Reid added 11 points off the bench playing in front of family and friends in his home state of Maryland.

The Essentials

Score: Mount St. Mary’s 65, Merrimack 57

Records: Merrimack (19-11, 13-4 NEC) | Mount St. Mary’s (11-18, 7-9 NEC)

Location: Knott Arena | Emmitsburg, Md.

The Visuals

Juvaris Hayes set a new NCAA steals record with his 449th career theft. He finished the day with 452 career steals.



With his first steal of the game ... Juvaris attains a record that he's been approaching his whole career Mr. Hayes officially now holds the all-time @NCAA steals record!!!@NCAAStats @NECsports @marchmadness #GoMack // #MakeChaos pic.twitter.com/J3XktMr98f — Merrimack Men's Basketball (@MerrimackMBB) February 23, 2020

Rapid Recap

The two teams traded runs to start the afternoon. The hosts jumped out to a 7-0 lead, only to see Merrimack react with a 10-0 stretch that staked the Warriors to their first lead of the day. During the run, Hayes notched the steal that set the NCAA all-time steals record. Sophomore Mikey Watkins and Reid each hit 3-pointers during the run, as well

and Reid each hit 3-pointers during the run, as well With the score tied at 13-13 with under nine minutes left in the half, the Mountaineers used a 9-3 stretch to create a 22-16 lead with 3:35 remaining. Reid hit his third triple of the half to cut the deficit in half, but the hosts grew their lead back to seven, 28-21, with 63 seconds until halftime. Freshman Jordan Minor threw down a two-handed dunk that enabled the Warriors to pull within five, 28-23, at intermission

threw down a two-handed dunk that enabled the Warriors to pull within five, 28-23, at intermission Merrimack started strong in the second half as junior Devin Jensen splashed in a NBA-range triple to cap an 8-2 run, giving Merrimack a 31-30 lead. The Mount called timeout and went back in front, 35-31, but Watkins hit a three ball of his own to trim the deficit to one with 13:59 remaining

splashed in a NBA-range triple to cap an 8-2 run, giving Merrimack a 31-30 lead. The Mount called timeout and went back in front, 35-31, but Watkins hit a three ball of his own to trim the deficit to one with 13:59 remaining The Mountaineers took the lead for good with a 9-0 run that brought their lead to 10, 44-34, nearing the midway point of the half. The hosts’ lead hovered between 8-12 points for the next six minutes, ending with a 54-42 edge with four minutes to play

With 2:21 on the clock, Hayes hit a 3-pointer to bring Merrimack’s deficit down to 10, 59-49. The Warriors’ defense forced a turnover on the next possession too, but saw another long ball go awry. The comeback ended there, with The Mount holding on to an eight-point win after Hayes hit three buckets in the final 80 seconds

Notes and Numbers

Hayes’ first-half steal moved him into a category all by himself, eclipsing Ramapo College’s Tennyson Whitted’s record that stood for 17 years.

The Warriors remained alive in their bid to become the first team in NCAA history to win a conference regular season championship in their first season of Division I reclassification

Hayes scored in double figures for the third straight game, bringing his career points total to 1,932. He ranks seventh in program history in scoring

Reid scored in double figures for the fifth time this season and second time in NEC play