Jack Lawhorne – Student Reporter
Boston, MA – In pursuit of their first win of the season, the Merrimack Men’s Basketball team raided Case Gym Saturday afternoon to face host Boston University, who entered 2–1 despite early injury struggles.
The Warriors returned to their home state from an arduous season-opening road trip that saw them drop all three contests to non-conference opponents. Through those first three games, the Warriors had not been helped by their shooting—a lackluster 31.2% from the field and 23.6% from three as a team.
Record aside, junior guard Ernest Shelton, a D-II transfer from Gannon University, performed like an All-MAAC player through the opening stint. In 35.0 minutes per game, Shelton averaged 19.3 points on exceptional shooting—41.2% from the floor and 40.0% from three on 8.3 attempts from deep. The 6’5” sniper also made 6.7 free throws per contest at an 87.0% clip, while recording 2.0 steals per game.
1st HALF
The fourth game of Merrimack’s season got underway at 1 p.m. on Commonwealth Ave, and the Warriors started out strong. The score was 7–6 MC at the end of a three-minute stretch, which ended in a Terrier timeout prompted by a tough Kevair Kennedy basket.
Merrimack built on their solid opening, maintaining their lead through the 16-minute media timeout, up 10–6.
Ernest Shelton was a threat out of the gates, as he attacked and got to the free throw line before letting the three fly. Somehow topping his previous performances, Shelton had his best as a Warrior in the first half.
Kevair Kennedy had multiple deflections in the first few minutes and 9 points on 4 of 5 shooting in the first half. He added 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in the period. He was confident and assertive from the get-go—attacking the basket, getting to his spots at will, and knocking down his shots—a great development from the young freshman, who flashed his potential through three games but really found his way today.
I spoke with Head Coach Joe Gallo following the game, and he echoed the notion: “Kevair is the ultimate competitor. I thought last game that he let the game come to him a little too much in the first half, and that’s not his style. We are at our best when he is playing aggressively, and he did that right from the jump ball today. When he is in attack mode, there is nobody that can keep him out of the paint.”
Tye Dorset also came out on fire, netting two threes in the first five minutes.
MC was making chaos and making shots to start—their keys to success, as highlighted pre-game by MencyMagic on X.
Just past the 15-minute mark, BU missed a three, which was rebounded by Kevair Kennedy. Kennedy confidently took it to the cup for his second tough lay of the game. The freshman continued to make chaos in his best game yet, as he forced a turnover which led to Ernest Shelton’s second three on the day—a scary sight for the Terriers.
On defense, KC Ugwuakazi drew a timely offensive foul. Merrimack found themselves with double BU’s points, and all the momentum on the road.
The other way, Shelton hit his third three-pointer, already, plus the foul. Nuts. He hit the free throw to convert the 4-point-play, and make it 22-9 MC.
The Warriors established their defensive identity early on, as they continued to make chaos, effectively making BU uncomfortable in their offense. They forced Sam Hughes into a late-shot-clock jumper that missed and went out of bounds. BU got a break and scored as the refs called it off MC (even though it wasn’t), but the other way, KC Ugwuakazi got the roll off of a beautiful feed from Kevair Kennedy in the pick-and-roll. Uguakazi made an impact early on both ends with two massive plays.
At the 12-minute media timeout, MC led, 24-14.
Throughout the half, Merrimack continued to make BU earn everything on offense, and Ernest Shelton continued to knock down threes—he ended up going 4 of 5 from deep in the opening period.
At the 8-minute mark, Todd Brogna drove but was called for an offensive foul. A very good offensive player, Brogna still had not found his shot to this point in the season. But I noted that it’ll come, and once it does, it’ll be a scary sight.
Brogna would miss from deep again, but Andres Marrero started to find his shot, as he hit his second trey of the night.
On an ensuing possession, Todd Brogna threw an absolute beauty of a pass to Kevair Kennedy for the layup. The lead was once again double-digits.
A minute later, Brogna again set up Kennedy on the cut, who kicked it out to Tye Dorset—and like clockwork, the ball made its way back to Brogna behind the three-point line, and he finally got one to fall.
Out of a TV timeout, Todd Brogna sunk another three-pointer. The transfer from Stonehill finally appeared to find his shot. Post-game, Brogna credited his teammates with “instilling confidence in [him] and continuing to look [his] way.” “They had my back.”
Through the rest of the half, Merrimack held onto their double-digit lead by continuing to make BU earn every little thing on offense, while taking care of the ball, and most importantly, simply hitting their shots—for the first time this season.
MC made 17-30 of their FGs compared to BU’s 13-29, and the Warriors really killed them from deep, boasting 10 of 15 (66.7%) to the Terriers’ 6 of 16 (37.5%). BU was making shots at a decent rate—but Merrimack was doing so at an absurd level, while playing great defense.
2nd HALF
The second half started out with a long BU possession defended well by Merrimack. But the Terriers got the offensive rebound with big Ben Defty, and it led to a BU jumper to cut the lead to 12, before Andres Marrero answered on the other end with his third triple of the afternoon.
The other way, Defty again used his size to draw a foul down low, and it set up a Chance Gladden three.
BU got it down to 10 with a couple of efficient possessions, but Ernest Shelton knocked down a contested corner-three off the catch without even thinking—right in front of my face courtside. I found myself really thinking that Shelton may be the best Merrimack Warrior I’ve ever watched—at least on par with Jordan Derkack and Budd Clark with his scoring prowess.
When speaking with Gallo post-game, I had to point out that it seemed to me like Shelton doesn’t even think before he does on the court—when he catches that ball, he’s shooting it. Gallo added, “Ernest is quiet by nature but you trust that he is locked in on what’s going on. He has a great confidence about him, he never gets rattled and he is a calming influence on the rest of the group.”
The other way, Ben Defty strengthened his way into another basket down low, but Marrero continued to respond, this time with a middy. After a stop on the other end, Tye Dorset continued the Merrimack maraud with a three of his own. The Warriors now led by 16.
MC would collect a rebound on defense, but Kevair Kennedy was stripped, and it led to a Michael McNair spark three which spiked a roar from the crowd and got some energy back into the building. Still, the Warriors led by 14 at the first media timeout of the half.
Merrimack maintained steady control through good play on both ends for a few minutes,
Before BU hit two quick threes to cut the MC lead to 10. The Terriers then came out with a hectic steal on defense, and had all of a sudden regained all momentum in their home arena. Azmar Abdullah added another triple to cut the lead to single-digits and bring Merrimack completely back to earth.
Just like that, the tides had turned, and it was only a seven-point game—63-56, Merrimack.
“Basketball is a game of runs.”
Out of the media break, Kevair Kennedy re-ignited the MC bench by climbing the ladder and jamming home an emphatic dunk. But BU’s Azmar Abdullah immediately answered, continuing the whirlwind and forcing Joe Gallo to call a timeout.
Out of the huddle, Ernest Shelton buried yet another three, though BU clawed it back to seven before forcing a shot-clock violation on behalf of the Warriors. Down low, Ben Defty powered his way to another foul and split the free throws to make it 68–62 with nine minutes left.
Merrimack responded by bleeding the entire shot clock before—of course—Shelton cashed in again from deep.
On the next defensive trip, Tye Dorset drew a key offensive foul, and the Warriors pushed the lead back to double digits. Moments later, Shelton fired another three without hesitation and drilled it. Yes, this really happened—I’m not making it up.
BU’s Michael McNair tried to keep the Terriers alive with a long ball of his own, but at this point, BU started fouling Shelton off the ball just to keep him from touching it. A complete take-over.
Kennedy then attacked the rim for a strong look. He missed, but Aliou Cisse secured the offensive board, got fouled, and extended the possession. Todd Brogna capitalized, knocking down his third three of the afternoon. If you knew anything about Brogna pre-Merrimack, the slump never worried you.
Shelton still wasn’t finished either—another deep make pushed the lead to 13 with under five minutes to go. BU answered inside, but Merrimack’s pair of offensive rebounds on the next trip burned valuable clock and kept control firmly with the Warriors.
Despite BU’s last push, Merrimack sealed the game behind a massive Andres Marrero three and five clutch free throws from Kennedy in the final minute. The freshman closed with 16 points, 8 assists, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals—his first career double-double, en route to winning MAAC Rookie of the Week.
Ernest Shelton finished with 33 points and a school- and MAAC-record nine three-pointers. He was also recognized—as Player of the Week in the conference.
POST-GAME
Coach Gallo was thrilled following the win in which the Warriors shot 56.0% from the field and 66.7% from three after going just 31.2% and 23.6% in the first trio of games: “This is the best shooting team top to bottom that I’ve ever coached. It was just a matter of time before the ball started to go in. Also, guys were in the gym getting work in since we’ve gotten back from Texas, and it showed.”
“Everyday is a new opportunity to be great, and we decided as a team that we were going to be on the same page today, and that just benefited everyone…” Andres Marrero told me following the game. “Shoutout to God we’re healthy and ready to take care of our home in our first home game.”
The Warriors are back at Lawler for their home-opener Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. against Maine, before they head south to face the defending national champion Florida Gators on Friday.
