| Matchup |
Saint Anselm (5-2, 3-1 NE10) at
Merrimack (5-3, 2-1 NE10) |
| Date/Time |
Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017 (3:00 p.m.) |
| Venue |
Hammel Court // North Andover, Mass. // Tickets |
| Multimedia |
Live Stats // Video // Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – In a matchup of the top-two finishers in the Northeast-10 Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Merrimack College men's basketball program hosts Saint Anselm – the preseason favorites in the Northeast Division – in a 3 p.m. tilt on Saturday afternoon from Hammel Court.
Last Time Out:
- Merrimack drained 17 three-pointers – the most for the program in at least 17 years – en route to a 105-67 rout of Stonehill in the Warriors' home opener on Wednesday
- Junior Ryan Boulter (Mansfield, Mass.) scored 23 of his game-high 34 points in the first half, making his first five shots of the day and 12-of-17 overall. He hit 8-of-11 from three-point range, falling one triple shy of tying his own single-game program record
- Sophomore Jaleel Lord (Jersey City, N.J.) poured in a season-high 16 points while pulling down a career-best nine rebounds. Lord shot 6-of-11 from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range
- Merrimack notched 32 bench points, the highest output from its reserves this season. Freshman Khalief Crawford (Linden, N.J.) posted a 10-point effort, while sophomore Devon Moore (Hanover, Pa.) hit all four of his attempts in the second half, totaling nine points
Team Leaders:
- Boulter's performance vaulted him ahead of sophomore Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, N.J.) for the team lead in scoring (19.4 ppg). Boulter's 29 three-pointers are nearly three times more than the next closest Warrior, while he leads the NE10 in triples
- The Mansfield native currently boasts 851 career points, needing 149 more to reach 1,000 for his career
- Hayes finished Wednesday with 11 assists, maintaining his nationwide lead in total assists with 75 and assists per game at 9.4 per contest
- The Paterson native also continues to be one of the top defensive guards nationwide, leading the league with 26 total steals and 3.3 thefts per contest. Both statistics rank among the top-six nationally
The Hawks:
- Saint Anselm enters Saturday coming off its first league defeat of the season, 86-85, against long-time rival Southern New Hampshire
- Junior Tim Guers is off to a torrid start, totaling 24.1 points per contest with shooting splits of .463/.348/.848. Guers returned after a NE10 All-Conference First Team selection as a sophomore
- Guers joins classmate Cody Ball and Senior Taylor Fortin to form one of the most potent backcourts in the conference. Senior Austin Nydegger has emerged as another scoring threat, averaging 10.6 points per game on 62.1 percent shooting from distance
The Series:
- The all-time series reached the century mark last season, with the Hawks owning a 65-46 advantage in 101 meetings. The series dates back 61 years, the oldest opponent in Merrimack's history
- The programs have split the season series each of the last two years, with the home teams winning on each occasion. Two years ago, Merrimack upset Saint A's, 90-81, when the Hawks were the No. 7 ranked program nationwide
- Hayes posted a double-double with 21 points and 10 assists, while Lord, Boulter and senior Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) all finished in double figures in the Warriors' 78-76 victory last February1
Up Next
Merrimack hits the road next week, beginning with a trip to Rindge, N.H. on Tuesday to take on Franklin Pierce at 7:30 p.m.
