| Matchup |
Merrimack (4-2) at
Southern Conn. (0-3) |
| Date/Time |
Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017 (1:00 p.m.) |
| Venue |
Moore Fieldhouse // New Haven, Conn. |
| Multimedia |
Live Stats // Video // Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The No. 24 Merrimack College men's basketball team travels to Southern Connecticut State University on Sunday afternoon for a non-conference contest against the Owls at 1 p.m. from the Moore Fieldhouse in New Haven, Conn.
Last Time Out:
- Junior Ryan Boulter (Mansfield, Mass.) and sophomore Idris Joyner (Plainfield, N.J.) each hit layups over the final 90 seconds on Tuesday evening to send the Warriors' Northeast-10 Conference tilt at SNHU to overtime, but the Penmen recovered to prevail, 84-79, in Merrimack's most recent game before the holiday hiatus
- Sophomore Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, N.J.) posted 25 points, six assists, six rebounds and five steals in defeat. Hayes tied his career high with three three-pointers
- Three other Warriors scored in double figures, including a season-high 13 points of the bench from sophomore Jaleel Lord (Jersey City, N.J.). Eleven of Lord's 13 came in the first half, while he tied for the team lead with a trio of triples
- Joyner nearly posted a double-double with a team-best eight rebounds. Senior Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) added five caroms to go along with six points and four helpers
Ranking Summary:
- Merrimack currently sits at No. 24 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II poll, marking just the second time in school history that the Warriors have been ranked in the national coaches' poll in consecutive weeks
- The Navy and Gold are also receiving votes in the D2SIDA National Media Poll
Team Leaders:
- Coming off his fifth double-figure scoring game and third contest with at least 20 points, Hayes jumped ahead of Boulter for the team lead in scoring at 18.8 points per game. The Preseason All-American also paces Merrimack with 9.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game
- Hayes' 56 total assists leads the conference and the country, while his 47 total boards are one shy of the NE10 lead
- Boulter's 20 three-pointers lead the Warriors, while ranking second in the NE10
The Owls:
- Coming off an appearance in the regional semifinals in last year's NCAA Tournament, Southern Conn. has gotten off to a slow start in 2017-18, losing its first three games
- The Owls dropped two NE10 games against Saint Rose and Le Moyne by double digits, while losing a two-point game to non-conference foe Concordia (NY) on Tuesday
- Five Owls currently average in double figures, led by 13.3 points per outing for Jerry Luckett Jr. The senior forward also. leads the team with 7.7 rebounds per game, with Joey Wallace contributing similar numbers of 10.7 points and 7.0 boards per night
The Series:
- SCSU holds a 24-21 edge over Merrimack in the all-time series entering Sunday
- Like they will this season, the Owls and Warriors met twice last year. Southern Connecticut bested Merrimack in NE10 play, 89-65, before the Navy and Gold avenged the loss 20 days later with a 100-94 overtime win at Hammel Court
- Merrimack will look for its first win at Moore Fieldhouse since the 2008-09 season
Up Next
The Navy and Gold play their first two home games of the season next week, beginning with the Warriors' home opener against Stonehill on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. from Hammel Court.
