#NEC23 Men's Semifinal Recaps: Top-Seeded Merrimack Heads to First NEC Final, While FDU Clinches NCAA AQ - Northeast Conference Skip To Main Content
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#NEC23 Men's Semifinal Recaps: Top-Seeded Merrimack Heads to First NEC Final, While FDU Clinches NCAA AQ

3/4/2023

 
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It will be 1 vs. 2 for all the marbles on Tuesday in North Andover.

In its first-ever trip to the postseason top-seeded Merrimack took care of business in Saturday's first NEC semifinal, downing fourth-seeded Sacred Heart behind 18 points, 12 boards, six blocks and four steals from NEC Co-Player of the Year Jordan Minor. In just their fourth year as a member of the conference, the Warriors will host second-seeded FDU, which pulled away for a 70-50 win over third-seeded Saint Francis U in the nightcap in Hackensack. With the win, the Knights punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament while ensuring their pursuit of a seventh NEC crown. Demetre Roberts led FDU with 18 points and five dimes, while Ansley Almonor added 15 points.

Merrimack and FDU will face off on Tuesday at 7:00 pm at Lawler Arena. The game will air on ESPN2 and ESPN3 with Doug Sherman and Tim Welsh on the call.
 
#1 Merrimack 71, #4 Sacred Heart 60
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North Andover, MA -- Top-seeded Merrimack took down No. 4 Sacred Heart, 71-60, on Hammel Court in NEC semifinal action on Saturday and will play for the program’s first-ever Northeast Conference Tournament title on Tuesday.

Led by four in double figures, the Warriors, who ride a 10-game winning streak into Tuesday’s final, will play host to No. 2 FDU, which defeated No. 3 Saint Francis U later in the evening. Merrimack improves to 17-16 overall with the win, while Sacred Heart ends the season with a 16-17 record.

Jordan Minor, the NEC Co-Player and Defensive Player of the Year, put together another solid stat line. Compiling six blocks and four steals, the senior tallied a double-double with 12 rebounds and a game-high 18 points. Rookie of the Year honoree Javon Bennett contributed six steals and 17 points for the Warriors, who shot 56.0 percent in the second half.

Sacred Heart was led by Tanner Thomas, who scored 15 points.

An offensive surge midway through the second half proved to be the difference for the regular season champs. Merrimack, which took a 33-28 lead into the halftime break, used a 14-3 run to stretch a five-point lead to 17 (60-43) with 6:24 to go. Minor went off for back-to-back slams during that rally, which was capped by a Ziggy Reid jumper.

The Warriors and Pios went back-and-forth to open the game. With 13:01 left in the first, Bennett tied up the game at 9-9 before Devon Savage gave Merrimack a lead it would not relinquish with a layup and a three-pointer.

Minor would follow a Bennett three with a layup to push the lead into double digits for the first time at 23-13. Sacred Heart responded late in the first half and pulled within one on a 7-0 run, but Jordan Derkack and Bennett each scored before the break to make it a five-point lead

#2 FDU 70, #3 Saint Francis U 50
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Hackensack, NJ -- No. 2 FDU came out of the halftime break hot and never looked back en route to scoring a 70-50 win over No. 3 Saint Francis U in Saturday’s second NEC Tournament semifinal game.

FDU (18-14) will play for the program’s seventh NEC Tournament title on Tuesday when it heads to top-seeded Merrimack at 7 pm. Saint Francis U concludes its season with a 13-17 overall record.

Demetre Roberts led all scorers with 18 points, while Ansley Almonor and Grant Singleton contributed 15 and 12 points, respectively, to fuel the Knights’ offense.

The Knights built a 10-point advantage late in the opening half behind an 8-2 run, but Maxwell Land would bring the margin down to 35-28 after beating the halftime horn with a deep three-pointer.

It was all FDU out of the intermission, though. The Knights scored nine of the first 11 points of the stanza to push their lead to 15 at 45-30 with 14:46 left to play. That advantage grew to as many as 20 points on a Cameron Tweedy layup with 8:57 to go.

The Red Flash put a dent in their deficit and pull within 12 with 6:06 to go with an 8-0 run that included back-to-back buckets from NEC Co-Player of the Year honoree Josh Cohen, but they wouldn’t come any closer than that down the stretch.

Saint Francis U was led by Land, who knocked down three triples for 13 points.