Warriors survive a sluggish start, blow out Marist to remain in first place
Merrimack 81, Marist 56
Kevair Kennedy’s 22-point performance was the catalyst Thursday night, powering Merrimack to an authoritative 81-56 victory over Marist.
The Warriors absorbed an early surge before flipping the script with a decisive 25-5 run to close the first half. By the time the horn sounded, Merrimack had turned a shaky start into a five-point cushion.
“We took that first punch,” Merrimack men’s basketball coach Joe Gallo said. “We kept defending. The ball wasn’t going in even though I thought we were getting great shots. And the way we closed out that half to go up five (points) was huge. We kind of just keep the train rolling from there.”
From that point forward, the train indeed rolled downhill.
Kennedy added seven assists and four steals, controlling tempo and creating havoc at both ends for the Warriors (17-9, 13-2 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference).
Tye Dorset provided steady support, finishing with 15 points while shooting 5-for-8 from the field (2-for-5 from 3-point range) and 3-for-7 from the free-throw line. Andres Marrero chipped in 13 points, connecting on 5-of-8 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
“I thought we took it upon ourselves to challenge each other to play harder after that first 10 minutes,” Dorset said. “I think we responded.”
With the win, Merrimack strengthened its grip atop the MAAC standings, now sitting 1.5 games ahead of Saint Peter’s for first place. The Warriors will look to keep the pressure on Sunday afternoon when they travel to Quinnipiac.
