Men's Hoops Ready to Take On Stonehill in Search of First NE10 Win
Complete Game Notes (.pdf)
The Particulars:
Merrimack welcomes Stonehill to the Volpe Gym for the Warriors' home opener of the 2010-11 season. Merrimack enters the game with a 2-1 overall record and an 0-1 mark in the Northeast-10. The Skyhawks owns an undefeated record of 3-0 on the year and 1-0 in the league.
All-Time Series:
Merrimack trails the all-time series with Stonehill 35-6. The Skyhawks claimed two wins last season over the Warriors. Merrimack last defeated Stonehill February 23, 2008.
Last Time Out [Merrimack 47, Bentley 62]:
The Warriors were lead by junior forward Aaron Strothers with 16 points. Senior co-captain Dee Mency posted his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 15 rebounds.
Mency Scaling the All-Time List:
Senior Dee Mency entered the 2010-11 season ranked 12th on the career scoring list at Merrimack with 1,563 career points. Mency moved into 11th all-time after tallying 32 points in Merrimack's season-opening win over Concordia. With 12 points in the Warriors' loss at Bentley, Mency needs just one field goal to crack the top 10.
Mency needs just 437 more points to be inducted into the 2,000-point club. Only four Warriors have ever amassed 2,000 points in a career: Ed Murphy, Joe Dickson, Darren Duncan and Gary Duda.
Milestone Watch:
Junior guards Roland Davis and Wayne Mack both appear to be the next members of the 1,000-point club. Davis stands at 745 points while Mack has scored 639 for the Warriors.
Triple-Digits:
Merrimack's 110 points against Bloomfield was the first time that the Warriors broke the century mark since December 8, 2009. Merrimack posted a 101-92 win at Southern N.H.
Mency Honored By NE-10:
Senior Dee Mency hauled in the first Northeast-10 Player of the Week honor of the 2010-11 season. Mency averaged 33.0 points per game in the first week of the year to spur Merrimack to a 2-0 start to the year.
What a Start:
Merrimack's 95-81 win over Concordia in the first game of the 2010-11 season was the most points put up by the Warriors in a season opener since November 18, 2003. Merrimack defeated Saint Anselm 99-84 to kick off the 2003-04 campaign.
Nothing But Net:
Junior Aaron Strothers is sporting a field goal percentage of 82.7 so far this season. Strothers found the bottom of the net 19 times on 23 attempts.
Raising the Bar:
In Merrimack's 110-82 win over Bloomfield November 13, numerous Warriors set career-highs. Mency set a new personal best with 14 field goals made and he also tied a career-high with 34 points. Strothers scored a career-best 32 points on 14-of-16 shooting and pulled down 14 rebounds, the most in his three seasons. Davis dished out a career-high 10 dimes while Tyler Young posted career-best numbers in five categories.
Preseason Prognositications:
The Warriors garnered a No. 22 ranking in the NABC National Preseason Poll. Merrimack was also tabbed to finish third in the Northeast-10 Conference and received one first-place vote. Four other teams earned first-place votes in the poll and Bentley was selected to top the final standings.
Merrimack Head Coach Bert Hammel:
Entering his 31st season, Warriors' head coach Bert Hammel has compiled a record of 451-408. The 1973 graduate of Bentley College won his 400th game on January 22, 2008 at St. Anselm. He has taken Merrimack to the NCAA tourney six times, three of which have occurred in the last three seasons.
21 Wins x 2:
For the first time since 1998-99 (22-7) and 1999-00 (22-9), the Warriors put together consecutive 21-win seasons with a 21-9 record in each of the past two years.
Duncan Inks Pro Contract:
Former Warrior Darren Duncan recently signed a professional contract with the Dornbirn Lions of the Austrian Division 2. The 2010 graduate was a two-time All-American and three-time All-Northeast-10 first team selection. Duncan averaged 18.6 points per game, 6.8 assists per game and 2.6 steals per game in his final season. During his time in North Andover, Duncan helped Merrimack to 59 wins and three trips to the NCAA Tournament. As a junior and a senior, he was named as a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award which is presented to the nation's top point guard.
Follow From Home:
Once again this season, Merrimack will stream all home basketball games online at www.merrimackathletics.com. Brett Connolly and Brian Caira will have the call this season. Live stats will be available as well for all home contests.
