Tiffin University (1-1) held the lead for most of the game against Merrimack, but came up just short, falling in the closing seconds 59-56 on the opening day of the Merrimack tournament. The Dragons enjoyed a 30-19 halftime edge, and Merrimack didn't manage to finally tie it until 2:14 remained on the clock when free throws knotted the score at 55-55. Trailing 57-56, TU got the ball with 20 seconds left to set up a final shot, but they never managed to get the shot off, turning the ball over with 2 seconds left.

Overall, poor shooting hurt the Dragons, as they managed only 30 percent from the floor. They were also outrebounded 43-35 and were outscored in the second half 40-26. TU's three point shooting helped keep them in the game, as they hit 45 percent of their trey attempts (10-22). Mandy Jaeb led the way with 16 points while Karli Mast had 15 and Jordan Jenkins had 9 points.