Women's Basketball Returns Home For Non-Conference Matchup Against Bridgeport Saturday
Complete game notes (pdf)
The Particulars:
The Merrimack women's basketball team is home for their third consecutive game as they will play a non conference game against the Bridgeport Purple Knights at Hammel Court. The Warriors are coming off of a 77-63 loss at the hands of the #22 Franklin Pierce Ravens, while Bridgeport is coming in after an OT loss to Caldwell.
About Merrimack:
The Warriors are led by Genn Roy who averaging 16.0 points per game to go along with 3.5 boards per contest. Kelly Schatzlein has put together a strong start to the season as she is averaging 13.5 points per contest, 11.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. A pair of freshman making an early impact are Allison Wagner who is averaging 8.5 per contest and Chloe Rothman who is scoring 7.5 per contest.
About The Competition:
The Puprle Knights enter the game with an 0-3 record on the young season after falling 80-75 in overtime to Caldwell. The Purple Knights other two losses came to NE-10 teams, Adelphi and Pace. The Knights are led by Tanisha Carter who is averaging a team best 23.0 points per game and 9.3 boards per. Aziza Patterson is second on the team with 14.7 points per game and Elinor Avny is averaging 11.3 points and 5.7 boards.
All-Time Series:
The Warriors are 2-2 all-time against the Bridgeport Purple Knights including winning the last matchup between the two teams.
1,054 and counting:
Senior guard Gennifer Roy led the team once again in scoring in the conference opening loss to the #22 Franklin Pierce Ravens. Roy finished the game with 19 points on 7-16 from the field and 3-4 from the line. Roy also added four rebounds. Roy has led the Warriors in scoring each of the first two games. Her 1,054 career points puts her in 17th place on the school's all-time scoring charts, just one point shy of 16th place and 22 points shy of entering the top 15.
Schatzlein Averaging double-double:
Junior forward Kelly Schatzlein put together another solid outing in Merrimacks 77-63 defeat. Schatzlein scored 17 points, hauled in seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block. Schatzlein was 6-9 from the field and 5-7 from the free throw line in 35 minutes of action. Schatzlein is averaging 13.5 points per game, 11.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game so far this season.
Effective from behind the arc:
The Warriors are shooting 32.4 percent from behind the arc on the season and they are holding their opponents to only 23.5 percent. Allison Wagner leads all Warriors with four deep balls on the season while Gennifer Roy is 3-5 on the young season. The Warriors were 8-15 from behind the arc in their conference opener on Wednesday but they were unable to come out with a victory over the nationally ranked Ravens of Franklin Pierce.
Newcomers make early impact once again:
The Warriors received good play from their newcomers in the conference opening loss to the #22 Franklin Pierce Ravens as Allison Wagner netted a career-high 14 points in the defeat. Wagner connected on four three-pointers, was 2-2 from the line and also dished out two assists in 33 minutes of action. Chloe Rothman also chipped in for the Warriors adding nine points on 3-4 from the field and 2-3 from deep. Rothman also handed out three assists in her 26 minutes of action after getting in early foul trouble. Jaclyn Lyons had a quiet game offensively with two points but she did hand out a team-high four assists for the Warriors.
2011-12 Captains:
Senior Gennifer Roy and junior Katie Ganser will serve as captains for the Warriors this season. Roy is a product of Granby, Mass., and a health sciences major. Ganser is a native of Needham, Mass., and is a biology major.
Merrimack's New Head Coach Monique LeBlanc:
Monique LeBlanc is enterng her first season as head coach of the Merrimack Warriors. LeBlanc brings over seven years of division I coaching experience to North Andover. LeBlanc spent the last three seasons as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Northern Arizona University. LeBlanc also served as the teams academic mentor, Northern Arizona had a team GPA of 3.4 in 2010, which ranked 13th among all division I women's basketball programs. LeBlanc also spent three seasons as an assistant coach at her alma mater Bucknell where her team captured the Patriot league title in 2007 and 2008 and earned a NCAA Tournament Berth in 2008. LeBlanc was a two year captain of the Bisons as a player. She led her team to its first-ever Patriot League Championship and NCAA Tournament Berth, while compiling back-to-back 20-win seasons. Received the teams Bison Award and Defensive MVP honors as a senior.
LeBlanc's arsenal of assistants:
There are all new faces on the Warriors' coaching staff for the 2011-12 season. Julian Assibey and Blake DuDonis are entering their first seasons on the Merrimack bench. Assibey comes to the Warriors after spending three seasons at Western State College of Colorado where he led the program to three consecutive postseason births. He oversaw all aspects of recruiting, scouting, travel and camps while cultivating alumni support. DuDonis joins Merrimack's staff after two years on the bench of division I Gardner-Webb women's basketball team. DuDonis served as student assistant coach for the Gardner-Webb team that in the 2010-11 season reached the NCAA tournament.
