| Matchup |
Merrimack (5-3, 3-2 NE10) at
Saint Michael's (4-5, 1-5 NE10) |
| Date/Time |
Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017 (1:30 p.m.) |
| Venue |
Ross Sports Center // Colchester, Vt. |
| Multimedia |
Live Stats // Video // Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's basketball program aims to increase its divisional winning streak to three games on Saturday afternoon when the Warriors face Saint Michael's College at 1:30 p.m. in Northeast-10 Conference action from Colchester, Vt.
Last Time Out:
- The Navy and Gold opened Tuesday's game at Franklin Pierce with a 20-10 run, led by 16 points after the first quarter and never looked back in a 76-44 wire-to-wire win over the Ravens
- Three Warriors scored in double figures led by 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting from freshman Lindsay Werner (Groton, Mass.). Freshman Alyssa Casey (Andover, Mass.) posted her third double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while fellow rookie Mayson Kimball (Webster, N.H.) netted 10 points of her own
- Junior point guard Karlee Alves (Ellington, Conn.) contributed seven assists and five steals, while committing only two turnovers. The Warriors forced Franklin Pierce into 28 turnovers, scoring 32 points off the Ravens' miscues
- Senior captain Cecilia Reyes (Lawrence, Mass.) made her season debut midway through the fourth quarter, pulling down one rebound in five minutes of action. Merrimack received 16 points from its reserves as a whole, with sophomore Emily Houle (Attleboro, Mass.) highlighting the group with a pair of three-pointers
Team Leaders:
- At 18.5 points per game, Casey ranks fourth in the conference in scoring and is third nationwide among freshmen. She leads Merrimack in field goals (61), field-goal attempts (133), rebounds (61) and rebounds per game (7.6)
- Werner currently is in a nine-way tie for seventh in the county in three-pointers made, draining 28 through eight games. The third-year shooter is averaging 3.50 makes from distance, which leads the conference and is the sixth-highest output in the country
- With 46 total assists and 23 total steals, Alves owns the team lead in both categories, nearly doubling the next closest Warrior in both. She trails Stonehill's Kelly Martin for the conference lead in helpers by one, while sitting in a tie for the NE10 lead in steals
- The Warriors have now scored 167 first-quarter points through eight games, over 40 more points than any other quarter. Merrimack's average of 20.9 points per game in the first frame is the second-highest in the league
The Purple Knights:
- Saint Michael's has used the same starting lineup in all nine games to date, entering Saturday with a 4-5 overall record
- Junior Samantha Delaney leads the team with 13.1 points per game, scoring all of her points from inside the arc
- Freshman Nicole Anderson shoots 42.1 percent from beyond the arc to lead the program, appearing in 19.9 minutes per game off the bench
- Saint Michael's interior defense has been impressive, ranking third in the NE10 with nearly five blocks per game. Individually, the Purple Knights boast two of the top-five leaders in the conference in blocks per game
The Series:
- During the six-year tenure of head coach Monique LeBlanc, the Warriors have turned the all-time series around to the tune of a 34-30 advantage entering Saturday's action
- The Warriors have an 11-1 record against the Purple Knights over the last six years, winning 11 straight after faltering in LeBlanc's first-ever meeting against Saint Michael's
- With the sweep of the Purple Knights last season, the Warriors ensured they owned the tiebreaker over Saint Michael's, which allowed Merrimack to advance the to the NE10 Championship over the Purple Knights
Up Next
Merrimack will play its final divisional game of the rest run through of the Northeast on Tuesday night when the Navy and Gold host No. 3/4 Bentley at 5:30 p.m. at Hammel Court.
