NORTH ANDOVER, MA - The MAAC-leading Merrimack men's basketball team hosts Sacred Heart on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Lawler Arena.
Merrimack is 13-9 overall and 9-2 in the MAAC. The Warriors defeated Sacred Heart (6-6 MAAC) on Dec. 29.
THE LATEST
• For the 26th time in 33 MAAC games, the Warriors enter a contest in first place in the conference. The Warriors have the best MAAC conference record since joining the league with a 23-8 conference record. Quinnipiac has the next best at 22-10.
• Merrimack led by as many as 20 in a win over Saint Peter's last Saturday, improving to improve to 7-0 at home. Ernest Shelton had 21 points, Kevair Kennedy had 17 and Tye Dorset added 15 in the win.
• Kevair Kennedy has put himself in position to sweep the MAAC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors. Kennedy, a 4x MAAC Rookie of the Week, is averaging 17.0 points per game, which is second in the MAAC. His 19.5 points per game in conference games leads the league. Kennedy's has only taken 18 3-pointers this season, making 7. He has made 111 2-point field goals on 234 attempts from inside the arc (47%). He has scored in double-figures in 21 of his 22 collegiate games - including 20 straight. He leads Merrimack and is 7th in the conference in assists (3.7 apg) and ranks 5th in the league in steals (1.7 spg). He has scored 20 or more points in three of the last four games and five of the last eight.
• Ernest Shelton, a high school teammate of Kevair Kennedy at Philadelphia's Father Judge High School, is second on the team and fourth in the MAAC in scoring at 16.0 points per game. Shelton, a Division II transfer from Gannon University in Erie, PA, is 2nd on the team in scoring and is 4th in the MAAC (15.9 ppg). He has scored 20 or more points 5 times, and in double figures in 19 of the 22 games. He has made a 3-pointer in every game and multiple 3-pointers in 19 of the 22 games.
• The Warriors have won 7 of the last 9 and 11 of the last 14 games. Merrimack is 7-0 at home this season and 9-1 when playing within New England, including an 80-72 win at Sacred Heart on Dec. 29. Ernest Shelton led four players in double-figures with 19 points. Kevair Kennedy had 18, Tye Dorset had 16 and Andrés Marrero had 14.
• The Warriors #MakeChaos zone defense has continued to cause problems for opponents. Merrimack has allowed over 66 points only 3x in the last 14 games and held teams to 61 points or less 4x in the last 6 games, including the last three.
• In the last three games Merrimack has held Marist 17.5 points below its season average, Iona 13.4 points below and Saint Peter's 13.2 points below its season average.
Merrimack is holding opponents to 63.9 points per game in the last 14 games.
• Tye Dorset is averaging 12.5 points per game in conference play.
