NORTH ANDOVER, MA - The MAAC-leading Merrimack men's basketball team hosts Marist on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Lawler Arena.
Merrimack enters the contest at 12-2 in the MAAC and 16-9 overall, having won four-straight games. Marist is 16-8 and 10-5 in the MAAC.
THE LATEST
• The Warriors have the best MAAC conference record since joining the league last season, with a 26-8 conference record, ahead of Quinnipiac (25-10) and Marist (23-12) for the best record over the last two seasons. For the 29th time in 36 MAAC games, the Warriors enter a contest in first place in the conference standings.
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Tye Dorset scored 18 points, making 7-of-8 FGs, including both 3-pointers as Merrimack defeated Rider 73-47.
Ernest Shelton scored 15 points,
Kevair Kennedy had 14 and Andrés Marrero had 10 as the Warriors won their fourth-straight and 6th in last 7.
• Merrimack won at Marist 68-55 on Jan. 19 behind 20 points from
Kevair Kennedy, 18 from
Ernest Shelton and 17 from
Tye Dorset.
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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 leading the league in scoring in conference games at 19.7 points per game. He is third in the league in scoring in all games at 17.3 points per game and has scored in double-figures in 24 of his 25 collegiate games - including 23 straight. He leads Merrimack and is 6th in the conference in assists (4.0 apg) and ranks 4th in the league in steals (1.8 spg). He has scored 20 or more points in 5 of the last 7 games and 7 of the last 10.
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Ernest Shelton, a high school teammate of
Kevair Kennedy at Philadelphia's Father Judge High School, is second on the team and 6th in the MAAC in scoring at 16.2 points per game. Shelton, a Division II transfer from Gannon University in Erie, PA, has scored 20 or more points 6 times, and in double figures in 22 of the 25 games. He has made a 3-pointer in every game and multiple 3-pointers in 21 of the 25 games.
• The Warriors have won 10 of the last 12 and are 14-3 in the last 17 games. Merrimack is 8-0 at home and 10-0 when it scores 70 points or more. Merrimack is second in the MAAC in turnover margin (+2.60).
• The Warriors #MakeChaos zone defense has continued to cause problems for opponents. Merrimack has allowed over 66 points only 4x in the last 17 games and held teams to 61 points or less in 6 of the last 9 games, including 5 of the last 6.
• Merrimack has held 4 of its last 5 opponents, Marist (-17.5) Iona (-13.4), Saint Peter's (-13.2), Sacred Heart (-17.0) and Rider (-19.1), well below their season average. Merrimack is holding opponents to 62.4 points per game in the last 15 games.
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Tye Dorset is averaging 12.8 points per game in conference play and has scored in double-figures in 7 of the last 9 games. He has made a 3-pointer in 7-straight games.
