Box Score

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Southern Connecticut State University football team scored the first 21 points of the game but host Merrimack outscored the Owls by a 35-3 margin the rest of the way to claim a 35-24 win during the Northeast-10 Championship weekend.

SCSU closes the 2013 season with a mark of 3-8, while Merrimack's season comes to an end at 7-4.

Running back Jack Mallis (Windham, Maine) finished with a career-high 109 yards on the ground along with a touchdown. Carlton Staggars (West Haven, Conn.) amassed a career-high 137 yards on six catches, one of which was a touchdown.

Defensively, Brian Wilcox (Jericho, Vt.) had 11 tackles and a sack. He became just the third player in program history to eclipse 100 tackles in a season. J.R Ferguson (1995, 1996) and Steve Lawrence (1991, 1992) are the only other two players in program history to have reached the 100 tackle mark in a season.

The Owls jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the game. Southern Connecticut opened the scoring in the first quarter with a six-play, 52-yard drive that was capped by a nine-yard run from Mallis. Devin Silverman (Berlin, Conn.) added the PAT to extend the lead to 7-0.



SCSU needed just 133 seconds to build its lead to 21-0 early in the second quarter. Brandon Basil (Northford, Conn.) hit Staggars on a 63-yard touchdown reception only 12 seconds into the second quarter to make it 14-0 after the PAT. Then, on the next Merrimack possession, Mike Dunkley (New Rochelle, N.Y.) returned an interception 55 yards back for a touchdown and a 21-0 lead.

Merrimack scored the final 13 points of the quarter to close to 21-13 at the half. After an Owls' interception, Joe Clancy hit Zach Ingalls on a 19-yard touchdown reception. Artis Holt then returned a SCSU interception 47 yards for a score later in the frame.

SCSU extended its lead to 24-13 on a 23-yard field goal from Silverman midway through the third quarter.



However, the Warriors scored the final 22 points of the game to post the victory.