ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – One more.
It was the message Merrimack sophomore guard
Tye Dorset immediately stressed and it echoed throughout the locker room after the Warrior men's basketball team advanced to the MAAC Men's Basketball Championship following its semifinal win at Boardwalk Hall on Sunday night.
The opportunity the Warriors (23-10, 17-3 in MAAC) worked toward is finally here.
"A lot of the work has been done over the last couple months here," Merrimack head coach
Joe Gallo said ahead of facing No. 3 Siena in the conference finals on Tuesday night at 9 p.m. on ESPN2. "You're just kind of fine-tuning some things and keeping guys fresh and healthy at this point."
The Warriors advanced to their third conference title game in four years after being No. 9 Sacred Heart in the quarterfinals and No. 5 Marist in the semifinals. Siena advanced past No. 6 Mount St. Mary's and No. 7 Fairfield en route to the conference title game.
It'll take a full 40-minute effort on both sides of the floor, Gallo said.
"No surprises. Play Merrimack basketball," Gallo said. "Defend, take care of the ball, take great shots. Sometimes the bright lights go on and some guys, at times, can do some uncharacteristic things as you see on TV. But just doing what we've done all year."
Having claimed the regular-season title and a pair of postseason victories at Boardwalk Hall, Gallo is confident in his group led by MAAC Player of the Year
Kevair Kennedy, All-MAAC First Team
Ernest Shelton and standout guard
Tye Dorset. All three are coming off performances where they scored double figures, including Dorset's clutch 3-pointers which propelled the Warriors to a thrilling win.
Gallo is expecting those three to step up in whichever role the team needs.
"Pretty mature group," Gallo said. "I think that first one, as far as the emotions go, is kind of the toughest one. So, it's good to get the two under your belt. Two really good teams playing in a final."
With a win, the Warriors would advance to the Division I Tournament for the first time in program history.
