SANBORN, N.Y. (Interstat) — In a game defined by runs and resilience, the Merrimack Warriors used a decisive second-half surge to pull away from the Niagara Purple Eagles and secure a 73-66 victory in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men’s basketball on Sunday at Gallagher Center.

The Warriors, who entered as heavy favorites, saw that status challenged early before their offensive efficiency and key defensive stands in the final 12 minutes sealed their 21st win of the season. Niagara, fighting to escape the conference cellar, fell to 8-22.

Merrimack led 30-28 at halftime in a tightly contested opening period that featured eight lead changes. Niagara’s Justin Hawkins, a 6-foot-7 forward from Willingboro, New Jersey, was instrumental in keeping the Purple Eagles close, scoring 10 of his team-high 18 points before the break. The Warriors, however, found their rhythm from deep late in the half, connecting on five three-pointers to maintain a slim advantage.

The most critical sequence of the game unfolded midway through the second half. With Merrimack clinging to a 45-41 lead, the Warriors unleashed a 12-0 run over a three-minute span that broke the game open. The burst was fueled by the backcourt duo of Kevair Kennedy and Tye Dorset. Kennedy, a junior guard from Philadelphia, ignited the run with a driving layup and capped it with a steal and assist for a Dorset three-pointer, pushing the lead to 57-41 with 10:19 remaining.

Niagara never recovered from that deficit. The Purple Eagles managed to cut the lead to nine points on several occasions in the final minutes, but Merrimack consistently answered at the free-throw line, making 12 of 13 attempts for the game to quell any comeback hopes.

Kennedy finished as the engine for Merrimack, playing 37 minutes and contributing 16 points, seven assists and a block. His backcourt partner, Ernest Shelton, also from Philadelphia, led all Warriors scorers with 18 points, including four three-pointers. Dorset, from Mount Laurel, New Jersey, added 15 points, with 11 coming in the second half.

For Niagara, Hawkins’s 18-point, four-assist effort was the standout performance. Josiah Sabino of Jacksonville, Florida, provided a spark off the bench with 13 points, but the Purple Eagles struggled to generate consistent offense outside of those two, shooting just 40.9% from the field as a team.

Statistically, Merrimack’s victory was built on perimeter shooting and taking care of the ball late. The Warriors shot 40.7% from three-point range, making 11 of 27, compared to Niagara’s 7 of 18. While Niagara won the assists battle 8-5 and the steals battle 8-5, Merrimack committed only two of its 11 total turnovers during the game-deciding second-half run, displaying crucial poise.

The Warriors also outperformed their season-long offensive metrics, scoring 73 points on 62 possessions for an offensive rating of 117.4, a mark well above their season average. Niagara’s offensive rating of 111.8, while respectable, was not enough to keep pace during Merrimack’s explosive stretches.

The game, played before an announced crowd of 890, improved Merrimack’s record to 21-10 as they head into the conference tournament. Niagara, meanwhile, concludes a difficult regular season at 8-22. The result followed the pregame statistical projections, with Merrimack having been an 8.5-point favorite. The combined point total of 139 surpassed the over/under line of 126.5.