Merrimack College Men's Hoops Wins NEC Title ... As Predicted

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — They were celebrating at Hammel Court in North Andover Thursday after the Merrimack College men's basketball team's 70-54 win over Central Connecticut State earned the Warriors the Northeast Conference title for the second time in four years.

Merrimack (14-16 overall, 11-4 in the NEC) had been the preseason pick to win the conference. But the Warriors struggled during the pre-conference schedule, going just 2-12.

But Thursday's victory was Merrimack's seventh straight and its 11th win in 13 games.

"What an accomplishment this was for our guys after the tough start we had in the non-conference," Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo told Patch. "To be able to stay positive through the schedule that we played is a testament to (the players). Practices never dipped in energy through it all and we just stayed the course. Once we tasted some success in the league and our offense caught up to our defense, we became really tough to beat down the stretch."

With the conference title, Merrimack also earned the No. 1 seed in the upcoming NEC Tournament, which begins Wednesday at the site of the higher seed.

The Warriors initially were restricted from the conference tournament until the 2023-24 season due to the program's 2019 reclassification from Division II. However, that rule was amended last summer, giving Merrimack a chance to compete in the conference tournament this spring.

Merrimack, which also won the NEC regular-season crown in 2019-20, still remains ineligible for the NCAA Tournament. If the Warriors capture this year's NEC Tournament, the runner-up will represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament.

In Thursday's win, Merrimack senior Jordan Minor recorded his 13th double-double of the season, scoring a team-high 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Sophomore Devon Savage added 15 points, freshman Javon Bennett scored 14 and senior Ziggy Reid added 13.

The postgame celebrations Thursday featured the Warriors players climbing a ladder and cutting pieces of the basketball net, as is tradition for championship teams. Then, Gallo removed the rest of the net, put it around his neck and dove off the ladder into his players' arms.

Merrimack wraps up the regular season at 1 p.m. Saturday against Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York.