Merrimack Beats UAlbany 73-60 as Zone Defense Causes 21 Turnovers

No sooner had the University at Albany men’s basketball team clawed its way back from a 10-point second-half deficit to tie Sunday’s game against Merrimack at Broadview Center than the Great Danes found themselves on the back foot once again.

Merrimack’s trademark zone defense proved too much to overcome on Sunday, November 8, 2026, forcing 21 turnovers and propelling the Warriors to a 73-60 victory, the Times Union reported.

The loss dropped the Great Danes to 2-1 early in the season, preventing them from sweeping their America East-Metro Basketball Challenge games following a Thursday road win over Manhattan.

“To be honest with you, I wanted the whole week,” UAlbany coach Dwayne Killings told the Times Union. “That was our goal, to have a complete week. We did not.”

Merrimack coach Joe Gallo’s defensive scheme flummoxed the hosts throughout the contest. UAlbany repeatedly found gaps in the middle of the zone, but the Warriors’ aggressive ball-pressure on Ollie Engen, U-Mier Graham, and Erwann Bussing disrupted their rhythm.

“It’s their identity,” Engen said of the Merrimack zone, according to the Times Union. “They practice it really well. They know each of the spots that they’ve got to be in, (they have) active hands. We’ve just got to be more assertive, more confident in our passing and take better advantage of it.”

Despite turning the ball over 14 times in the opening 20 minutes, UAlbany trailed just 30-26 at halftime. Merrimack pushed the margin to 40-30 early in the second half before a 13-3 UAlbany run, capped by seven straight points from Zacharie Matulu, tied the game with 12:26 remaining.

Yet, Merrimack responded with seven unanswered points out of a timeout. When Matulu and Tyler Jones both picked up their fourth fouls, forcing lineup adjustments, the Warriors pulled away.

A.J. Lesburt Jr., a graduate transfer from Brown, hit 7 of 12 attempts from beyond the arc to finish with a game-high 25 points for Merrimack, which improved to 1-2 overall.

“We needed to get a stop on defense, but we were focused on the offensive end,” Graham told the Times Union. “We needed to go back down on defense and get that stop.”

Engen led the Great Danes with 17 points but committed six turnovers. Graham added 16 points and eight rebounds, while Jones contributed 13 points before fouling out.

With senior Abdoulaye Fall restricted on minutes and redshirt sophomore Pedro Santos set to be evaluated this week ahead of potential season debuts, head coach Dwayne Killings pointed to the need for composure.

“Those two guys (Graham and Jones), this is the third college game they have ever played,” Killings told the Times Union. “No excuses, just kind of the reality of what it is. We’ve got to fight through it. I think to do it, we’ve got to have a little bit more composure.”

The Great Danes return home Wednesday for a 1 p.m. matinee game against Dartmouth.