The Warriors left little doubt in the opening round of the MAAC Tournament on Friday night, rolling past Sacred Heart, 70–48, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
“What a defensive performance,” Merrimack coach Joe Gallo said. “That’s not an easy game. You’re playing a team with a game under their belt. They got here the day before, shot the heck out of the ball [on Thursday], and you saw it in the first few minutes. It was an extension of their second half last night. Once we settled in defensively, we just had to get back to — when we play offense, we squeak games out, and when we combine the two of them [offense and defense], we have had some games where it’s 15-plus.”
Fresh off being named the MAAC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year earlier this week, Kevair Kennedy led the way with 24 points.
Kennedy also added eight rebounds and six assists for the Warriors (21–10). Ernest Shelton finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Tye Dorset chipped in with 10 points and five assists.
“My teammates, our staff, they have so much trust in me I can just go out there and be me, and that makes my job easy,” Kennedy said.
Merrimack’s defense set the tone throughout the night. The Warriors forced 15 turnovers and held an opponent under 50 points for the third time this season.
“It started in film this whole week,” Shelton said. “We wanted to not allow threes, they have a lot of great shooters.
“Our energy is the staple here,” Shelton said. “We feed off of it.”
Anquan Hill led Sacred Heart (13–18) with 18 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Yann Farell added 11 points, four assists, and two blocks, while Mekhi Conner finished with 10 points and five assists.
Merrimack seized control midway through the first half, taking the lead with 11:20 remaining before the break and never looking back. Kennedy scored 14 of his points in the first half as the Warriors carried a 39–25 advantage into the locker room.
Merrimack will face the winner of Saturday’s quarterfinal matchup between Quinnipiac and Marist in Sunday’s semifinal.