Women's Basketball Heads to Assumption for Conference Contest
Complete Game Notes (.pdf)
The Particulars:
Merrimack aims to stay on fire in 2011 as it travels to Worcester for a Northeast-10 Conference matchup against Assumption. The Warriors are sporting a 6-5 overall record and 4-3 mark in the league entering the game. The Greyhounds are 9-3 on the year and 7-1 in the conference coming into the contest.
About Merrimack:
The Warriors will look to continue the success since turning the calendar. Merrimack is 2-0 in January after back-to-back conference wins. Kelly Schatzlein leads the Warriros with 14.5 points per game. Gennifer Roy is averaging 11.3 while Sarah Benischek and Tiffany Colon are each scoring 10.6 per contest.
About The Competition:
The Greyhounds are led by Kelly Meredith who is averaging just under 20 points per game. Assumption has three other players scoring 10 or more points per game this season. Gabrielle Gibson ranks second on the team with 14.3 points per game. Molly Griffiths and Sabrina Siciliano are averaging 12.8 and 10.8 points per game, respectively.
All-Time Series:
Merrimack trails the all-time series with Assumption 21-31. The Warriors claimed a 55-45 victory in last season's meeting in North Andover. The Greyhounds eked out a win in the previous year's contest 58-54.
Last Time Out [Merrimack 53, American International 50]:
The Warriors snapped the Yellow Jackets' four-game winning streak with a 53-50 victory at Volpe Gym January 5. Sarah Benischek led Merrimack with 12 points and eight rebounds. Tiffany Colon pulled down a game-high 14 boards for the Warriors.
Milestone Watch:
Junior guard Gennifer Roy enters tonight's game with 818 career points to her credit. The co-captain of the Warriors needs 182 points to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Preseason Prognositications:
Merrimack was tabbed to finish 10th among the 16 teams in the Northeast-10 Conference. The Warriors were predicted to claim 13th a year ago and finished the season in 12th in the league.
2010-11 Captains:
Senior Sarah Benischek and junior Gennifer Roy will serve as captains for the Warriors this season. Benischek is a native of Shrub Oak, N.Y., majoring in sports medicine. Roy is a product of Granby, Mass., and a health sciences major.
Three-Point Gunners:
Merrimack ranks second in the Northeast-10 Conference with 6.18 treys made per game this season. The Warriors have connected on a total of 68 three-pointers through ten games.
Grand Theft Basketball:
Senior Taneka Brown and junior Genn Roy are among the league leaders for steals in the Northeast-10 Conference. Brown is third in the conference with 2.64 swipes per contest. Roy's 2.27 thefts per game are good for fifth.
Schatzlein Scores:
Sophomore Kelly Schatzlein is eighth in the Northeast-10 in scoring with 14.5 points per game. She also ranks eighth in field goal percentage. The Tolland, Conn. native has drained 53% of her attempts.
Block Party:
Schatzlein ranks fourth in the Northeast-10 with 1.73 blocks per game. Schatzlein has rejected 19 shots this season. She came up with a pair of blocks in the Warriors last game.
Merrimack Head Coach Helen Williams:
In her fifth season, Warriors' head coach Helen Williams has compiled a record of 43-81. The 1987 graduate of Wake Forest University helped Merrimack knock off the top team in the nation for the first time in program history with a 71-64 win over Franklin Pierce last year. Under Williams' tutelage, the Warriors won their first Northeast-10 Conference playoff game in five years with a 77-70 victory over St. Rose in the first round.
Williams' New Arsenal of Assistants:
There are two new faces on the Warriors' coaching staff for the 2010-11 season. KJ Krasco and Amanda Shannon are entering their first seasons on the Merrimack bench. Krasco comes to the Warriors after a three-year stint as the head women's basketball coach at Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y.
Shannon returns to her alma mater to begin her coaching career after working for the Junior National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. Shannon graduated from Merrimack in 2009 with 1,360 career points, ranking her fourth on the all-time list. She is also sixth all-time in assists and eighth in steals.
Miller Follows a Dream:
Former Warrior Casey Miller is currently playing professional basketball in Spain. She is a member of the Universidad de Oviedo which plays in the Baloncesto Femenino 1st Division. Miller ranked second on the Warriors with 13.3 points per game in her senior season.
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.
