Warriors Outlast Pioneers in MAAC Championship Quarterfinal, will Face Off against Mount St. Mary’s for Rights to MAAC Championship Game

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – The Merrimack Warriors Men’s Basketball team got their postseason play underway in Atlantic City for the MAAC Basketball Championship. Seventh seed Sacred Heart beat 10th seed Fairfield to matchup with second seed Merrimack in the quarterfinal Wednesday night.

The quarterfinal game started off slow and defensive as neither team was able to put the ball in the hole in the first two minutes.

Devon Savage broke the deadlock with a three-pointer to get the Warriors on the board first. 

The Pioneers answered with a triple of their own but Matt Becht kept it raining. A few possessions later, Sean Trumper continued the three-point barrage, knocking down a shot off a precise feed from Budd Clark, scoring the ninth points of the night for the Warriors and propelling them to a 3-for-7 start from beyond the arc.

Sacred Heart’s rebounding proved to be an advantage early on as the Pioneers tied the game at eleven before taking the lead with a three-pointer at the halfway mark of the first period. At that point, Sacred Heart led the rebound battle 15 to 7, more than doubling the Warriors’ total.

After a dry stretch offensively, Matt Becht nailed a much-needed bucket from downtown to give the Warriors the lead, 15-14. On the other end, Sacred Heart missed a jumper but again gathered the offensive rebound. However, Becht stole the ball which led to a momentous Bryan Etumnu bank shot for three. Instantly after, a Budd Clark swipe on one end and score on the other added to a 9-0 run to flip the score from 14-12 SHU to 20-14 Merrimack. Sacred Heart called timeout, and out of the break, Bryan Etumnu swatted two Pioneer shots and then threw down a dunk on the other end thanks to a Budd Clark pick-and-roll find. The dunk capped off an 11-0 run which extended the Warriors’ lead to eight.

Moments later, Etumnu drained his second 3 of the night to make him a perfect 4 of 4 from the field. Subsequently, Nyle Ralph-Beyer and Devon Savage traded threes before Ralph-Beyer continued his hot scoring night with a bucket to keep the Warrior lead within reach.

The Pioneers added a few free throws before Budd Clark got hot late in the half with a smooth jumper followed by another swipe-and-score.

Merrimack entered halftime with a four point lead, 32-28. Etumnu led the way for the Warriors with 10 points, five rebounds and a couple of blocks. Budd Clark also made a huge impact with six points, four assists, and three steals, and Matt Becht knocked down a pair of threes to go with his own three steals.

While Sacred Heart dominated the rebound battle 26-13, the Warriors made up for it by turning the Pioneers over ten times compared to four the other way and scoring twelve points off turnovers while only giving up two.

Warriors Head Coach Joe Gallo mentioned at halftime that he “loved the energy and toughness” his Warriors played with. 

In the second half, the Warriors again went scoreless in the first two minutes. Sacred Heart took advantage by going on a 9-0 run and taking the lead.

Devon Savage scored the Warriors’ first points of the half with a corner three off of an incredible Budd Clark assist. Moments later, Matt Becht knocked down his third triple of the night to give the Warriors the lead.

Sean Trumper and Matt Becht forced back-to-back steals on the other end which were turned into points by Budd Clark for two and again Matt Becht for three. A technical by SHU’s coach Anthony Latina led to an extra two Becht points from the charity strike.

Moments later, Becht scored his 16th points with a contested mid-range jumper to give Merrimack a 10-point lead.

Anquan Hill dunked home a much-needed score for the Pioneers to end a Merrimack 12-0 run, but Devon Savage responded with a three to keep the pressure on Sacred Heart and the Warrior lead in double-digits.

After a scoreless three-minute stretch, Bryan Etumnu slammed home a brilliant lob from Budd Clark. Two minutes later, Matt Becht added his fifth three on just nine attempts.

Just inside the two-minute mark, Etumnu, the MAAC’s leading shot-blocker and Defensive Player of the Year swatted what was recorded as his second block, although as the official broadcasters on ESPN allured to, appeared to be his third.

Tanner Thomas made it a one-possession game with 57 seconds to play but Budd Clark answered with a dazzling mid-range jumper, increasing the Warrior lead to five. However, Sacred Heart refused to go away, as Amiri Stewart hit a desperation three to trim the deficit to two with just 24 seconds remaining.

Budd Clark was sent to the line for a single shot that just missed. Amiri Stewart was fouled on the final possession and knocked down both clutch free throws to send it to overtime. 

The Pioneers opened overtime with three free throws but Devon Savage responded with three points of his own before Budd Clark added a couple with an impressive mid-range jumper.

In the final possession with the Warriors up two, Amiri Stewart got to the basket but was met by Bryan Etumnu who was in position and drew the game-deciding charge. Matt Becht knocked down a pair of clutch free throws to extend the Warrior lead to four and seal the deal.

In the end, Merrimack escaped by the skin of their teeth against a familiar Pioneers team. Advancing to the Semifinals where they will play Mount St. Mary’s tonight at 8:30 in the MAAC semifinals on ESPNNEWS. 

Mount St. Mary’s Preview:

Looking ahead to tonight’s matchup, the Warriors only played the Mountaineers once earlier this season, suffering a 66-58 loss back in January. Merrimack comes into the game with an extra day’s rest against an injury riddled MSM squad. MSM starter Carmelo Pacheco will be out with a broken finger, who averages 10 ppg and hit 4 threes in the last matchup against us. While another starter, Dallas Hobbs, suffered a lower body injury in the Marist game last night.  

The Warriors hit their key metrics in the last matchup against MSM, forcing 19 turnovers against a Mountaineers team that turns the ball over more than any other team in the MAAC.  MSM wants to play at a quicker pace, as the Warriors would prefer to slow the game down and limit the Mountaineers total possessions.  

The Warriors will need a well rounded effort on the offensive end and will emphasize getting to the free throw line, which they have been very good at in the month of March.  Budd Clark struggled in the last matchup against MSM, if our shooters can keep the MSM defense honest from beyond the arch, that should free Clark up to go about his usual business.  I expect this to be a low scoring game and the Warriors will need an all around team effort to control Dola Adebayo in the rebounding battle.  

The MAAC semifinal will be a battle of contrasting styles and gritty basketball where every possession counts! Tune in tonight on ESPNNEWS at 8:30 and show some support for our Merrimack Warriors, as we look to secure our spot in the MAAC championship game and take another step closer to March Madness. With the Warriors’ suffocating defense and clutch playmakers ready to shine, this is your chance to cheer on our team in a win or go home showdown!