Men's Basketball

Merrimack and Fairfield Secure Quarterfinal Round Wins in 2026 Air Force Reserve MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship Powered by Northeast Beef

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (Mar. 7, 2026) – The 2026 Air Force Reserve Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s Basketball Championship at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall resumed on Friday night with the quarterfinal round. No. 1 Merrimack College and No. 7 Fairfield were victorious, and both teams move on to Sunday night’s semifinal round.
 
No. 1 Merrimack – 70 | No. 9 Sacred Heart – 48
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall | ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
Box Score (XML)
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The top-seeded Merrimack Warriors upended Sacred Heart, 70-48 in the quarterfinal round matchup. The game was tight in the early goings with neither side gaining a true advantage. After four ties, and with the contest knotted at 16 apiece, Merrimack opened the game up scoring nine straight to go ahead 25-16. The Warriors kept the Pioneers out of reach and extended the lead to a commanding 14 points by half. The unanimous MAAC Player and Rookie of the Year, Kevair Kennedy had himself a half, scoring 14 points in the first 20 minutes of play.
 
Merrimack kept its foot on the gas in the second half, never allowing Sacred Heart to get back within single digits, only letting the game get to as close as 11 points.
 
Merrimack Notes and Notables
  • In the one sided affair, Merrimack held a time with lead of 34:47 and had its largest advantage of 25 points late in the second half.
  • Kennedy finished his first MAAC postseason game with a game-high of 24 points on 10-for-22 shooting from the field, with eight rebounds and six assists.
  • He finished 2-of-4 from behind the arch and attempted more threes than he did all season long in a single game.
  • Ernest Shelton had a strong outing as well, while stuffing the statsheet by notching 18 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
  • Tye Dorset surpassed double figures with 10 points, five assists and a team-leading three steals.
  • Merrimack dominated all facets of the game: rebounding (36-28), turnovers (15-9), points off turnovers (22-0), points in the paint (30-16), second chance points (13-6), fast break points (15-0), and bench points (4-2).
  • This was the second straight season the Warriors knocked off the Pioneers in the quarterfinal round, after beating them last year in overtime (66-62).
  • Merrimack earns its second ever MAAC postseason win and moves on to the league’s final four in as many years.
  • The Warriors will play on Sunday, March 8 at 6:00 p.m. against the advancing team between of No. 4 Marist/No. 5 Quinnipiac.
 
Sacred Heart Notes and Notables
  • The trio of Anquan Hill, Yann Farrell, and Mekhi Conner accounted for 39 of the Pios 48 total points.
  • Hill was the team leader in scoring (18), rebounding (7), and blocks (2).
  • Farrell added 11 points and four assists.
  • Conner chipped in with 10 points and a team-high five assists.
 
No. 7 Fairfield – 74 | No. 2 Saint Peter’s – 55
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall | ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
Box Score (XML)
Box Score (PDF)
 
Seventh seeded Fairfield earned the first upset of the championship, taking down second seeded Saint Peter’s, 74-55. It was a game of runs to start the meeting off. Saint Peter’s set the tone, scoring the game’s first 11 points. Fairfield remained scoreless until earning its first point at the 13:20 mark, which led to a 7-0 rally of their own and turning it into an 18-5 run overall to take an 18-16 lead with 7:42 left in the half. The first half would be a stalemate from that point forward. Late in the half, the Peacocks finished on an 8-0 run to send the game into the break evened up at 30 all.
 
The Stags came out rolling in the start of the second half, opening on a 10-0 run. Saint Peters was able to cut the lead to four with 13:08 left in the half, but then, Fairfield went on a 30-15 run to close out the game and score a whopping 44 points in the second half.
 
Fairfield Notes and Notables
  • Fairfield’s offensive night was spearheaded by a pair of double-doubles from Brandon Benjamin and Declan Wucherfennig, who combined to pull down 30 of the team’s 45 rebounds.
  • Benjamin finished with 26 points and 15 rebounds, while adding two assists and two blocks.
  • Wucherfennig scored 13 points and had 15 rebounds, to go along with a team-best four assists.
  • Tony Williams was the squads second leading scorer with 16 points, while also grabbing two boards, handing out three assists, and making two steals.
  • Fairfield won the battle of the boards (45-36).
  • The Stags also held advantages in points off turnovers (18-17), points in the paint (36-24), second chance points (17-14), and fast break points (15-12).
  • Fairfield is back in the semifinal round for the second time in the past three seasons, last making it in 2024.
  • Fairfield awaits the winner of No. 3 Siena/No. 6 Mount St. Mary’s in the semifinals and will play them on Sunday at 8:30 p.m.
 
Saint Peter’s Notes and Notables
  • Brent Bland was the only Peacock in double figures, scoring a team-high 11 points.
  • He also led the unit with seven rebounds.
  • Bryce Eaton followed with nine points and a team-best five assists.
  • TJ Robinson added eight points.
  • Saint Peter’s got a strong contribution from its bench, which combined to score 20 points.
 
For all information regarding the 2026 Air Force Reserve MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, please visit MAACSports.com/basketball and by following @MAACHoops and #MAACHoops on X.
 
Air Force Reserve
The mission of the Air Force Reserve is to provide combat-ready forces to fly, fight, and win in air, space, and cyberspace, whenever and wherever needed. As a critical component of the United States Air Force, the Air Force Reserve supports global operations while remaining ready to respond to domestic emergencies and humanitarian efforts. It is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping Reserve Citizen Airmen to execute a wide range of missions that contribute to national defense and global security.
 
The Air Force Reserve offers part-time and full-time service options, enabling individuals to serve while maintaining civilian careers or pursuing higher education. Each year, the Reserve recruits thousands of enlisted and officer personnel across core specialties including Aviation, Maintenance, Intelligence, Cyber, Medical, Security Forces, and Logistics. This flexibility allows members to develop valuable skills, gain leadership experience, and serve their country with pride.
 
More information about Air Force Reserve careers and opportunities is available at: https://www.airforce.com/ways-to-serve/air-force-reserve.

About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena University.
 
Stay up to date with the MAAC on social media by following @MAACSports on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn or visit MAACSports.com for all the latest MAAC news.