Men’s Basketball Falls to Penn in Philadelphia

Philadelphia, PA – Following a seven-day hiatus through Thanksgiving, the Merrimack Men’s Basketball team returned to action on Black Friday vs. the University of Pennsylvania for the first game of the Cathedral Classic.

Headed into Friday, the Warriors sat at 2–4 — coming off a loss to the defending national champion Florida Gators, but fresh off big wins over BU and Maine. Penn, on the other hand, entered 3–2.

1st HALF

The game got off to a slow start with both teams missing their first four field goal attempts and failing to score in the opening two minutes of play.

Andres Marrero opened the scoring before Kevair Kennedy slashed his way to the basket for two impressive finishes and a trip to the free throw line.

With 12:43 to go in the first half, Ernest Shelton broke a 10–10 tie to give Merrimack a three-point lead, which was extended to five via a Kennedy steal turned Tye Dorset free throws.

KC Ugwuakazi then added a big score off of an offensive rebound to help the Warriors maintain control.

Penn would tie it at 17, but Dorset hit a beautiful spinning jumper to regain the lead for MC.

Just past the halfway mark of the opening period, Jaylen Stinson stole the ball and scored through a foul, before grabbing an offensive rebound and finding Andres Marrero for a fast break lay to push the Warriors’ lead to six.

Dalton Scantlebury answered for the Quakers with two layups to make it a one-possession game, but Marrero countered with his second three of the day.

With 5:40 remaining, Aliou Cisse came up with the first of two big blocks by him late in the half, and it led to Todd Brogna finding Tye Dorset on a cut for a highlight finish. Marrero added a step-back mid-range jumper, and with three minutes left, Merrimack held a 30–25 lead.

But in the final stretch of the period, Penn flipped the script.

With 2:44 to play, the Quakers sent multiple defenders to press Kevair Kennedy full-court, and forced a 10-second violation to get some momentum on their side. Penn took the lead, and the Warriors would not score in the final three minutes.

At halftime, Penn led MC 35–30.

2nd HALF

The Warriors opened the second half with a 6–2 run to make it 36–37, but Penn answered with an 11–0 surge of their own to extend their command to double-digits.

With 12 minutes remaining, Aliou Cisse took it off the dribble and to the basket for two, before Kevair Kennedy took a Penn miss coast-to-coast to get the deficit back in single-digits. The Quaker lead would dwindle between single and double-digits for the rest of the game, but in the end, the Warriors were unable to close the gap. 

Kevair Kennedy kept his foot on the gas, refusing to go away and keeping MC at bay as he scored 13 of his 18 points in the 2nd half, but Penn didn’t falter at all.

After outscoring Penn 30–25 in the first 17 minutes, Merrimack lost the last 33 minutes by 19 — 52–33 — and ultimately fell 77–65.

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, Kevair Kennedy stood out once again. The freshman guard shot an efficient 8-13 from the field and got to and finished at the rim at will. The game is looking easier for the rookie every time he takes the court. Andrés Marrero also looked good, while Aliou Cisse and Jaylen Stinson made a handful of positive plays.

Merrimack also simply fell victim to a cold shooting night. The Warriors went 4–28 from deep, with Brogna, Shelton, and Dorset combining to shoot 2–21. All game, the trio missed shots they usually knock down — just a few more makes could have swung the outcome.

MC will resume play tomorrow, Saturday (11/29), at 2:00 PM ET vs. Hofstra University for their second game of the Cathedral Classic, before finishing the tournament against La Salle on Sunday at noon.

Following the PA trip, the Warriors will return home to begin MAAC play on Thursday, Dec. 4 at Lawler Arena when they host Rider University, before taking on Fairfield on Sunday (12/7). Tipoffs are set for 7:00 PM and 1:00 PM ET, respectively.