Merrimack Men’s Basketball Reclaims First Place in MAAC

Jack Lawhorne, Joey Motroni — Student Reporters

North Andover, MA — A first half masterclass from Joe Gallo’s defense lifted the Merrimack men’s basketball team (13–9, 9–2 MAAC) to a 67–59 win over Saint Peter’s (11–7, 8–2 MAAC) Saturday afternoon at a packed Lawler Arena hosting more than 500 students for Alumni Day.

The victory elevates the Warriors to first place in the MAAC over the Peacocks, who entered Saturday’s contest with a half-game advantage over MC.

The Warriors defense held Saint Peter’s to just 16 points on abysmal shooting (5–28 FG, 1–10 3PT) in the first half and turned them over 10 times.

MC more than doubled SPU’s scoring and carried a 33–16 lead into halftime.

“The way we defended in the first half — that really set the tone for the game,” said Merrimack Head Coach Joe Gallo following the game.

The Warriors got their lead up to as much as 20 early in the second half, but the Peacocks did not shy away, as they cut their deficit to single-digits multiple times and to as little as six in the final minutes.

KC Ugwakazi’s (fouled out) presence was missed down the stretch, especially on the rebounding front. Saint Peter’s was able to remain in the game with second chance points — out-rebounding the Warriors by a staggering 28–7 margin on the offensive glass. The Peacocks out rebounded the Warriors 49–28 total.

But in the end, the Warriors pulled it out with their home crowd behind them.

Ernest Shelton led the Warriors with 20 points (11–11 FT) and added two steals and three blocks. Kevair Kennedy (20 pts) and Tye Dorset (15 pts) also scored in double figures and combined for multiple steals each.

“Guards win,” added Gallo. “The three of them play off each other so well, they’re so unselfish, no one is worried about who’s scoring more than the other guy… it’s just such a gift, especially with the lead, having three guys who can take care of the ball — dribble, pass, make free throws… it’s hard for opposing teams to get back in it against these guys.”

The Warriors take the first-place spot in the MAAC into an eight-day break ahead of their matchup with Sacred Heart next Sunday (2/1). Tip-off is at 1:00 p.m. ET.

They’ll need strong rebounding and continued improvement in free throw shooting to close out games as the Warriors get deeper into the conference schedule before MAAC Tournament play.