Merrimack's magic number to clinch the top spot in the NEC down to two after Thursday's win over Saint Francis

NORTH ANDOVER — Merrimack is one step closer to a second consecutive NEC regular-season title.

The Warriors cruised past Saint Francis on Thursday night 71-60 in front of a boisterous crowd at Lawler Arena. Merrimack opened a 10-point lead in the opening minutes and never trailed, leading by as many as 17 points.

"We set the tone in the first three minutes with our defense," said Merrimack coach Joe Gallo. "That set the tone for the game. I was really happy with the way we came out in those first three or four minutes. We needed to come out and play the right way and handle our business."

Central Connecticut beat Wagner 73-72 on Thursday. Merrimack's magic number to clinch the top spot in the NEC is two games. Any combination of two Merrimack wins and Central Connecticut losses will clinch the No. 1 seed for the Warriors.

Central Connecticut is at Sacred Heart on Saturday. The Warriors have the weekend off, and they'll travel to Fairleigh Dickinson next Thursday.

"We just want to win," said freshman guard Budd Clark. "More than anything, we just want to win."

Gallo said the Warriors will get the weekend off.

"They'll lift a little (on Friday)," he said. "Maybe shoot a little bit. But we're going to give them Saturday and Sunday and then we'll be back out there on Monday in our regular routine."

That routine has been the key to keeping focused on the next game and avoiding distractions, and it will continue to be the key for the Warriors as the games get bigger and the natural notion of looking ahead kicks in.

"Our preparation and routine has stayed consistent," Gallo said. "That's important at this time of year. I'm also not a big walkthrough guy at this time of year. We're more like the Miami Heat where we go live. We played live defense every day. Practicing that way, it keeps us locked in. We don't even talk about what our record is or what's next. We just take it one day at a time.

"It's pretty cool that we have the chance to maybe finish this thing off on the road, with all of the traveling we did in November. That prepared us for moments like this, and it's why we've been able to stick together. Things like our toughness, that's the stuff that travels."

Merrimack’s odds to clinch the No. 1 seed fell slightly to 78 percent. That was due to Central Connecticut’s win over Wagner. With Thursday’s win, the Warriors cannot finish lower than second place. If Central Connecticut loses on Saturday, the Warriors will have a 95 percent chance of finishing in first place.

Merrimack honors seniors

Before Thursday's game, the Warriors honored seniors Jordan McKoy, Ryan Issacson, Jacob O'Connell, and Samba Diallo.

"It's an interesting time in college basketball," Gallo said. "You have some guys who have been here the whole time, like Jordan, and then you have some grad transfers.

"The seniors bring a unique perspective. The guys we brought in as transfers put their trust in us. We get them for eight months, and everyone's recruiting them. It's like speed dating. You don't always get to build great relationships. You have two weeks to get them to say yes. I told all of our transfer guys I hope we fulfilled everything they wanted because they have all fulfilled everything we wanted from them.

"And then a guy like Jordan McKoy. He's Mr. Merrimack. He's played more games here than anyone and he'll be the all-time winningest player when it's all said and done. He's close to a 4.0 student. He's someone all of these guys look up to because of how he handles his business every day, and he'll be successful in whatever he chooses to do."

NOTES: Merrimack has now won eight straight games in Lawler Arena dating back to last season. … Diallo led the team with 14 points and Derkack led the team with seven assists.