Merrimack breaks skid, keeps postseason hopes alive with win over Quinnipiac

By Ray Curren (@rjcurren.bsky.social)

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — Conference losing streaks are not something Joe Gallo and Merrimack want to get used to.

After finishing 25-7 in the NEC the last two seasons and losing consecutive games just once in that span, the Warriors came into Sunday’s game against MAAC-leading Quinnipiac having lost four of their last five, and—although it probably won’t affect its seeding for the MAAC Tournament—in relatively desperate need of a confidence builder.

For those that believe in things like momentum, Merrimack got one Sunday, dominating the second half in a 73-63 win on senior day at Lawler Arena that showed the Warriors are still among the contenders for the MAAC title.

Gallo was particularly angry at his team’s performance Friday in an 83-78 loss at home to Rider. The Broncs put up 1.28 points per possession by jamming the ball inside the Merrimack zone, attempting just 13 three-pointers.

As it normally is, it was Budd Clark leading the way Sunday, as he picked up four steals in the first four minutes of the game. But he also got a nasty gash over his eye while going for a loose ball that needed stitches and saw him miss 10 minutes of game action. A minute after he returned, he took a knee to the head and missed the rest of the first half.

For losing someone who is among the nation leaders in minutes played, Merrimack survived, leading 30-27 at the break. Gallo praised Malik Edmead for running the show in Budd’s absence, and when Clark came back, he added two more steals in the first minute of the second half.

“We needed that in the worst way,” Gallo said. “We’ve had a tough stretch with a couple of close losses. I wasn’t particularly happy with our effort against Rider. The score was close, but that wasn’t a Merrimack team that I know. Sometimes it’s good to have a little reset when you get down the stretch with the conference tournament coming up.”

“We got their attention yesterday in practice. It was a completely different group. We know how good Budd Clark is offensively, but when he’s changing the game defensively like he was today, we’re so much better.”

In all, Clark finished with 20 points and a career-high eight steals in just 26 minutes. He also took another step toward MAAC Player of the Year as his primary competition, Quinnipiac’s Amarri Monroe, finished just 1-for-11 from the field and scored just six points (although he did have 16 rebounds).

After shooting just 1-for-7 from behind the arc in the first half, Merrimack was 6-for-14 after the break, and that may be what it needs more than anything else in Atlantic City if it wants to win the MAAC in its first season in the league. On Sunday, Devon Savage and Sean Trumper hit massive shots in the final minutes, and a lot of that will fall on Savage and Matt Becht, although Clark did hit one (and Trumper obviously as well), and if he can do that when opponents play off him, look out.

“I think we just needed a couple of those shots to go in down the stretch,” Gallo said. “I think this program for nine years has defended and had great point guard play, and we pride ourselves on closing out games. Unfortunately, in some of our one-possession games, we’ve had some balls go halfway down and out. We had some great drive and kicks, but we have to make the open shots when we need them. Hopefully those shots will give us confidence.”

Thanks to the Rider debacle, Quinnipiac took over the MAAC lead in defensive efficiency, but Merrimack grabbed it back by holding the Bobcats to just 0.91 points per possession, mostly by forcing 21 turnovers. In the first meeting between the two teams, Quinnipiac rebounded more than 50 percent of its misses, but got 35.7 percent Sunday, not great for Merrimack (they are currently third-worst nationally, allowing 38.7 percent), but probably acceptable against a really good offensive rebounding team like the Bobcats.

“Quinnipiac teams going back 20 years now are great on the offensive glass, so we knew we’d be at a negative there, but holding them to just 10 offensive rebounds, I thought was excellent,” Gallo said. “We make it up by turning them over and scoring at the other end. To take 11 more field goals in the game than them, I will take that every time.”

Even after the losing streak, Merrimack has a chance at the No. 2 seed for the MAAC Tournament if it beats Marist in the regular season finale on Thursday and the Red Foxes lose at Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday. And although everything will be new to the Warriors in Atlantic City, they have just as good a chance as anyone else to be standing with the trophy after the MAAC final.