Men's Baskeball Welcomes Saint A's for Conference Home Tilt Wednesday
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NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Looking to avoid its first five-game losing streak in a year and a half, the Merrimack College men's basketball team looks to rebound when it returns to Northeast-10 Conference play, as the Warriors host Saint Anselm College on Wednesday night at Hammel Court.
After opening the season 2-0, the Warriors have dropped four straight, including an 86-69 setback on the road against 10th-ranked Franklin Pierce and, most recently, a heartbreaking 74-72 defeat at home against LIU Post this past Sunday.
The Hawks have won three of their first four games to start the season, including a most recent 89-67 thorough win at home against conference rival Southern New Hampshire. Saint A's only loss of the year so far came at the hands of league foe Stonehill on Nov. 14.
Merrimack and Saint Anselm are meeting for the 102nd time in all-time history. The series is the second-longest in the history of the program, as the only team that the Warriors have played more is Stonehill (105).
The Warriors have won three out of the last five matchups against the Hawks, including a sweep in last year's regular-season set. Most recently, Merrimack came away with a 67-60 victory on Feb. 8, 2012, at Hammel Court after downing the Hawks , 81-68, on the road on Nov. 30.
Despite the recent success, Merrimack does trail in the all-time series, as the Hawks hold a 44-57 advantage in 101 previous meetings.
Most recently for Merrimack, despite owning a 10-point lead with exactly five minutes to play, the Warriors could not hold on to their late advantage, as visiting LIU Post stormed back by means of a 12-0 run to close it out, as the Pioneers handed Merrimack a heartbreaking 74-72 defeat on Sunday afternoon at Hammel Court.
Merrimack appeared to be in control with a 72-62 lead with five minutes to play, as freshman guard Gelvis Solano (New York, N.Y.) nailed the home side's seventh 3-pointer of the match to put the Warriors comfortably in front.
But that would be the last basket that Merrimack would muster, as the visitors slowly but surely trimmed the deficit in half with a five-point run in a span of 47 seconds before the Pioneers tied the game on a layup with under a minute to go.
A costly turnover with only 11 seconds to go gave the ball back in the Pioneers' hands, and after drawing a foul on an odd-man rush, Tobin Carberry calmly sank a pair of free throws to push the visitors ahead by two.
With only seven seconds on the clock, Merrimack rushed down the court in its final possession of the game. Rookie guard JT Strickland kicked it out to the right wing where junior Kevin Regan was waiting, but the guard's potential game-winner rolled off the rim before the final buzzer sounded with the home side ultimately behind by two points.
Saint A's has opened up the 2012-13 campaign with three wins in four tries, most recently putting away nearby rival Southern New Hampshire with an 89-67 victory last Tuesday, Nov. 20.
The Hawks began the year with back-to-back victories in the Saint Rose Tournament, starting with a 101-84 win against Concordia before posting a 77-51 victory against fellow non-conference foe Mercy. Their lone loss of the year came at the hands of defending tournament champion Stonehill, an 81-73 setback on Nov. 14.
Four players average double-digit scoring figures for Saint A's, highlighted by sophomore guard Roy Mabrey. The underclassman leads all players with 16.8 ppg on 42.3 percent shooting from the floor and an identical clip from long range while also boasting an impressive 92.3 percent conversion rate at the stripe.
Mike McCahey has paced Saint A's down low with a team-best rebounding average of 9.0 rpg. The freshman forward ranks second in scoring with 15.5 ppg, as well.
Also averaging double figures in scoring are Chris Santos and Dino Mallios. Santos, a sophomore, has averaged 13.5 ppg off the bench while shooting a team-best 57.1 percent from the floor. Mallios, meanwhile, has posted 11.2 ppg to go along with a side-high 6.5 assists per game average and a team-best 2.2 assist/turnover ratio.
As a team, the Hawks boast the top offense in the conference to date, as the squad's 85.0 ppg average is tops in the NE-10. Saint A's makes more field goals per game (30.8) than anyone else in the league, and their 9.0 3-pointers per game average ranks third. The Hawks also have been masters of the takeaway, leading the league with an average of 10.2 steals per game.
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