Jack Lawhorne, Joey Motroni – Student Reporters
North Andover, MA – On a chilly early-December Sunday afternoon at Lawler Arena, the Merrimack Men’s Basketball team (5–6, 2–0 MAAC) defeated Fairfield (5–5, 0–2 MAAC) in each team’s second game of conference play.
Both teams entered the contest coming off closely-contested MAAC season openers on Thursday and Friday night. Merrimack won vs. Rider whereas Fairfield fell to Manhattan, and each game was decided by four points or less.
MC had everything going early, jumping out to a 19–0 lead before the Stags finally got on the scoreboard. The Warriors’ early onslaught really stemmed from their defense. Joe Gallo’s teams are known for making chaos, and that’s just what they did.
Merrimack forced two early turnovers, which turned into Ernest Shelton layups each time, and they continued to play a very active zone defense that translated on the other end, as Tye Dorset knocked down his first attempt from three to make it 7–0.
The Warriors’ defense continued to keep Fairfield scoreless, which led to Kevair Kennedy finding Ernest Shelton for a three and his seventh points of the day. The score was 10–0 at the under-16-minute media timeout, and MC would keep their foot on the gas — the Warriors led by as much as 24 in the opening half (29–5).
“The start was unbelievable,” said Joe Gallo post-game. “I think it shows the knockout punch power this team has when we start playing our best basketball.”
But the Stags rapidly trimmed the Merrimack lead down to 14 with three quick triples amidst some offensive mistakes from the Warriors. After MC opened the scoring 29–5, Fairfield closed the half 25–10.
Brandon Benjamin was at the forefront of the Fairfield comeback thanks to his fantastic work on the glass. Benjamin finished the day with 14 rebounds, eight of which came on the offensive end, and added 17 points to complete his double-double.
While the Warriors spared some grip on the game, they still led by a modest nine points going into halftime.
But the sway of momentum would continue into the second half, as Fairfield started the period 9–1, and MC failed to make a field goal through the 16-minute media timeout.
However, Merrimack returned to embodying their “Make Chaos” identity — turning defense into offense, and putting together an 11–0 run. Defensive rebounds and steals were crucial in creating offense. From 15:00 to 8:28, the Warriors held the Stags completely empty on offense, and built their lead back to double-digits.
“To give the lead up and then just stay poised and kind of dominate it with the defense in the second half [was awesome], said Gallo.
“Some huge late shot clock shots in the last two games from numerous guys,” he added.
While Fairfield cut their deficit back to as little as four with seven minutes remaining, Merrimack closed it out by making shots. Todd Brogna knocked down two massive three pointers, Kevair Kennedy tipped in a rebound, and Tye Dorset made a tough jumper as well as a layup.
In the end, the Warriors pulled it out with an 11-point cushion. The final score was 74–63.
Kevair Kennedy (20 pts), Tye Dorset (19 pts), and Todd Brogna (13 pts) all scored in double-digits for MC. All five starters finished with at least one steal, and KC Ugwuakazi added five blocked shots. While they were outrebounded 38–28 (16–4 offensive), the Warriors shot 40% from three, won the turnover battle 13–9, and dominated in transition — outscoring Fairfield 17–2 in fastbreak points. Merrimack’s largest lead was 24, and Fairfield’s was 0.
The Warriors now hit the road for two non-conference matchups with Princeton University and the University of Vermont. Joe Gallo’s squad will look to get back to the .500 mark or above before getting back into MAAC play on December 29, 2025, against Sacred Heart. The Warriors will return home to Lawler Arena to take on the reigning MAAC champions, Mount St. Mary’s.
