Shelton Goes Off vs Top-20 Auburn

AUBURN, AL – The Merrimack Warriors had their hands full Thursday night as they traveled from South Dakota to Auburn to face one of the best teams in the country, the top-20-ranked Tigers.

Auburn made it as far as the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament this past March, so going in, this was going to be a tough test for a mid-major like Merrimack.

While they did lose SEC Player of the Year Johni Broome to the NBA as well as long-time head coach Bruce Pearl, who was replaced by his son Steven, Auburn is still a prestigious college basketball program, and the Tigers still have star power. They return Preseason All-SEC guard Tahaad Pettiford for his sophomore season, and bring in UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall, who scored 28 points in his Tigers debut Monday night vs. Bethune-Cookman.

The game got off to a slow start, as neither team found the net in the first two minutes, until Gannon (Division II) transfer Ernest Shelton pulled up from the logo to score the contest’s first points.

Merrimack would go scoreless for the next three minutes as Auburn went on an 11-0 run before Kevair Kennedy added a bucket to cut the Tigers’ lead to 6.

From 11:28 to the 5:55 mark of the first half, the Warriors got stuck in another drought. The cold stretch ended with Shelton’s second three of the half. The junior guard would add two more triples in the final minutes of the period.

At the end of the first half, Merrimack found themselves in a 22–39 hole, with 12 of the 22 points coming from Ernest Shelton. Malik Edmead and Todd Brogna each finished the half with multiple assists.

In the second, it was a lot of the same. Todd Brogna scored early while Kevair Kennedy and Tye Dorset each knocked down triples, but Auburn’s size and physicality continued to prevail. The Tigers ended up winning the rebound battle 55-24, and outscoring Merrimack in the paint 42-14. 

Auburn forward Keyshawn Hall was dominant as he scored 16 of his 25 points in the second and added 14 rebounds on the night (5 offensive). The senior transfer went 12-13 from the line and shot 66.7% from the field.

There were bright spots for Merrimack, though. Jaylen Stinson got on the board for Merrimack at the 13-minute mark when he drove baseline and finished through contact from Keyshawn Hall, ending a 13-0 Auburn run. 

Despite the score, Ernest Shelton continued to impress. He knocked down yet another three with 8:20 to play, making it 5-10 from deep on the evening. Shortly thereafter he collected his 3rd steal of the game on the other end and converted it into points via free throws. He would get to the line twice more down the stretch, hitting on all 4 attempts.

With less than two minutes remaining, Shelton blew by Sebastian Williams-Adams and threw down a nasty hammer all over Filip Jović.

Shelton finished the game with an impressive 23 points (6-12 FG, 5-10 3FG, 6-6 FT), adding a handful of highlights to his reel. He was the lone double-digit scorer for the Warriors.

Also notably, Brendan Johnson made his college basketball debut and scored a nifty and-1 basket, while Brandon Legris saw his first playing time since 2022-23.

The Warriors continue their road trip Tuesday night in Stephenville, Texas when they take on the Tarleton State Texans. They’ll look to get their first win of the season before they return to Massachusetts to play BU on Saturday 11/15. Then, Merrimack will head back to Lawler for their home opener vs. Maine Wednesday 11/19.