Merrimack moves to 5-0 in MAAC after stopping Manhattan

By Ray Curren (@currenrr)

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — Merrimack coach Joe Gallo mentioned several times while playing a very difficult non-conference schedule that it would help his team later, despite finishing 3-8.

After fending off a game Manhattan team Sunday afternoon at Hammel Court, 69-62, the Warriors are back to .500 overall, but most importantly 5-0 in their inaugural season in the MAAC, and most certainly one of the favorites to win in March and make the NCAA Tournament for the first time.

Sunday’s game played out like so many others for Merrimack the last couple seasons. Manhattan coach John Gallagher clearly had his team prepared for the Warriors’ patented 2-3 zone and put together some very good possessions in the first half, with Will Sydnor and Wesley Robinson giving them fits with their high-low game. The Jaspers (7-8, 2-4 MAAC) also shot the ball well from deep, 8-for-18, with Devin Dinkins shooting 3-for-5.

Yet Manhattan is yet another team to finish below 1 point per possession against the infamous Merrimack zone, with 62 points in 64 possessions.

One look at the boxscore told Gallagher all he needed to know. His team had been excellent at keeping the ball, but turned it over 18 times (13 of them Merrimack steals) and only had 10 offensive rebounds, a solid 35.7 percent under normal circumstances, but as aggressive as Gallo’s zone is, it can sometimes be vulnerable on the defensive glass and Manhattan did not take advantage.

“You can’t have 18 turnovers, but you can’t have just 10 offensive rebounds against a team like this, you have to have 16 or more,” Gallagher said. “You have to dominate the glass, that’s what teams that have beaten them have done.”

Still, Manhattan jumped out to a 21-14 lead when Shaquil Bender—who, along with Jaden Winston, gave Budd Clark fits dribbling—got a steal and layup, forcing Gallo to call time with 9:49 left in the half. The Warriors (8-8, 5-0 MAAC) made a run without Clark on the court and finished a 14-2 move on a Tye Dorset three.

“I told the guys we’re getting everyone’s best shot now, we’re not sneaking up on anybody anymore,” Gallo said. “Manhattan did a great job picking up the physicality defensively. They did what we do, and turned us over into pick-sixes for themselves. We’ve gone like three games without being behind, so I was proud when we went down seven, they didn’t even blink.”

Merrimack led at halftime, 32-28, and business picked up after the break as some chaos ensued, exciting to watch the frantic action full of turnovers and rushed shots on both sides, but not really what either coach wanted.

“We had a couple breakdowns, but they made a couple of really tough shots,” Gallo said. “They banked a three in from the top of the key. It’s that old Brad Stevens thing from a while ago, we look at halftime and see which team got better shots, and I thought we got way better shots, and usually those things even out as long as you take care of the ball.”

The Warriors lead was nine with 13 minutes left, at 46-37, but after Bender and Jaden Winston stripped Malik Edmead on back-to-back possessions, it was 48-46 just two minutes later. A Robinson jumper got the Jaspers to 54-53 with 7:37 left, but Manhattan could never quite grab the lead.

“There were only 30 first-half possessions and then things got pretty loose,” Gallo said. “I don’t mind that. Because our scores are low, it’s a little bit of a misconception that we’re slow, but it just takes a long time to score off us (Merrimack is currently 351st nationally in time on defense, at 18.7 seconds per possession). We forced three shot clock violations. We wanted to push pace on offense, though, especially when we’re getting good looks.”

The final minutes belonged, as they often do, to Clark, who was a menace on the defensive end, but also found ways to score or get fouled late in the shot clock several times in the closing stages. Clark’s second consecutive contested layup put the Warriors up 67-58 with 2:03 left and the Jaspers were never going to be able to get enough points to come back from there.

“Budd is the ultimate closer, as he showed today,” Gallo said.

Still, there were positives from Gallagher (who missed Friday’s loss to Mount St. Mary’s with the flu), who hopes to get Fraser Roxburgh—out for the last four games—back soon. Robinson and Masiah Gilyard each had 14 points (Gilyard had seven of the 10 offensive rebounds) to lead Manhattan, while freshman Sydnor showed signs of being able to take over even if they weren’t consistent.

“I don’t care what defense you’re in or what offense you’re in, when you have a player like Budd Clark, it’s a big difference,” Gallagher said. “I thought we did a decent job on him, but he’s so good and so talented. They were 9-of-30 from three, I thought that was a good job by us. But my team has not had 18 turnovers since I don’t even know when. I don;t think we understand just how active their zone was, give them credit. They are good.”

Meanwhile, Merrimack faces a big test Thursday at preseason favorite Quinnipiac, who is just a half-game behind the Warriors after winning at Iona Sunday. Bryan Etumnu, whom Gallo said after the game has certainly paid his dues in North Andover, had a game-high 21 points, including a pair of alley-oop dunks, and three blocks. Etumnu also plays a pivotal role in the zone in the middle.

“I try to be the anchor in our zone,” Etumnu said. “I’m the one-on-one defender down there when it goes to the high post, so I have a big role, even though some people say I’m undersized and things like that. I take that criticism and try to get better.”

Clark’s offensive numbers weren’t great: 15 points, nine assists, seven turnovers, but he made the plays he had to and added three steals.

Obviously, the Warriors are probably not going 20-0 in the MAAC (KenPom gives them a 0.2 percent chance), but they believe they can win the league and their play has shown it.