Dorset Shines in Men’s Basketball Opener

Sioux Falls, S.D. – The Merrimack Warriors dropped their season opener Monday night to South Dakota State, but one player shined in particular.

Sophomore guard Tye Dorset, who averaged just 2.9 PPG as the one of the youngest players in college basketball last season, had a breakout 19-point game.

I spoke with Dorset before the game and he said: “Staying aggressive is going to be huge for me this year.”

And he did just that, attempting a team-high 12 shots and nailing 7 of them, including 3 of 6 threes.

Dorset made his first career start in 34 games and made the most of the opportunity from the get-go, scoring the first eight points for Merrimack via a nifty driving layup followed by two three-pointers.

The 6’3 combo-guard also added 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal in the loss.

With 9:20 to play in the second half, Dorset added one of many plays tonight to his highlight reel with a brilliant layup off the dribble, before going down with an apparent hamstring injury. Luckily, it appeared to be no more than a cramp, and he would return to the game.

With 4:30 to go, Dorset attempted a step back three and got a ridiculous shooter’s touch, as the ball ricocheted off the back iron, reaching all the way up above the shot clock before dropping in for three points.

Both plays had the broadcast booth audibly in awe.

Despite the outcome, there were indeed other bright spots for the Warriors. Freshman Kevair Kennedy made 3 baskets and got to the free throw line four times, converting on all attempts, and was extremely impressive at getting downhill and attacking the basket, both in the half-court and full-court.

Ernest Shelton also added 15 points and 3 steals plus a block, going 9-11 from the charity stripe.

Andres Marrero also put up 13 in the effort.

The Warriors are back in action Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET when they face Auburn, the No. 20 ranked team in the nation. This will be a tough test for Merrimack, as the Tigers made it all the way to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament last season, where they narrowly lost to the National Champion Florida Gators.