| Matchup |
Merrimack (12-4, 9-1 NE10) at
Le Moyne (11-5, 8-1 NE10) |
| Date/Time |
Saturday, Jan. 9, 2018 (3:00 p.m.) |
| Venue |
Hammel Court // North Andover, Mass. |
| Multimedia |
Live Stats // Video // Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – In one of its most anticipated games since the 2017-18 schedule was unveiled in September, the Merrimack College men's basketball program will make a return trip to Syracuse, N.Y. on Saturday afternoon to take on the Le Moyne College Dolphins for the first time since the Warriors upset top-seeded Le Moyne in the opening round of last season's NCAA Division II East Regional. Adding on to the drama, the two programs enter Saturday's tilt in first place of their respective divisions, losing just one Northeast-10 Conference game apiece.
Last Time Out:
- Sophomore Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, N.J.) took over late in the second half and into overtime during Tuesday's 92-89 win over Adelphi University. The victory increased the Warriors' NE10 winning streak to eight games, while the program has won eight of its last nine overall
- Hayes finished with his fifth double-double of the season, pouring in 35 points on a career-best 14 made field goals. He added 10 assists, six rebounds and five steals, his ninth game this year with at least five thefts
- The second-year floor general scored nine of Merrimack's 11 points in overtime, including the only three buckets the Warriors hit in the final five minutes
- Freshman Khalief Crawford (Linden, N.J.) added a 17-point performance on his most efficient shooting display of the season, hitting his first seven shots of the night. Senior Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) contributed 14 points to go along with a team-best seven rebounds
NCAA Rewind:
- First-year head coach Joe Gallo guided the program to its ninth NCAA Tournament berth last season, finishing the year with 19 victories
- The Warriors qualified as the eight seed in the East Regional, which meant a matchup with the top-seeded and host Dolphins in the opening round
- Facing a four-point halftime deficit, the Warriors rallied in the second stanza to lead by three late in regulation, but Le Moyne hit a triple with just seconds remaining to push the game to OT. In overtime, juniors Ryan Boulter (Mansfield, Mass.) and Troy McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.) scored seven of Merrimack's nine points that led to the Warriors upset. Hayes finished with 21 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals
- Merrimack emerged from the tournament as the only No. 8 seed nationwide to upset the top overall seed. It marked the program's seventh NCAA win in school history
'Mack Facts:
- Merrimack's 9-1 record through 10 conference games is the program's best 10-game NE10 start ever. With a victory against Le Moyne, the Warriors will become the fastest team in school history to reach 10 NE10 victories
- Both the 2008-09 and 2009-10 squads needed 12 games to reach 10 NE10 victories. Merrimack's current eight-game conference winning trails the 10-game run that the 2009-10 team made as the longest conference winning streak in school history
- Hayes has lived up to his expectations as a Preseason All-American, as Merrimack's points guard currently leads the nation in assists per game (8.4), total assists (135) and total steals (65). Hayes leads Merrimack in scoring (19.4 ppg), assists, rebounding (6.4) and steals (4.1)
- Over 47 career games, the primary ball handler boasts 422 career assists. Comparing Hayes' production to the first two playing years of those listed in the NCAA Division II Record Book for career assists, Hayes is on pace to have the most assists of anyone in that group over their first two seasons. The Paterson native is on track to end the regular season with 523 career helpers, which would be 14 more than Assumption's Demetri Beekman – Division II's all-time leader in assists – during his first two seasons with the Greyhounds from 1990-92
- Saturday's matchup features two of the top-five scoring defenses in the NE10. Le Moyne allows 66.0 points per game, the second fewest in the Southwest Division, while Merrimack leads the Northeast Division by allowing 71.1 points per contest
- Offensively, the Warriors have the edge over the Dolphins. Merrimack brings the seventh-ranked scoring offense into Syracuse (76.6 ppg) to face Le Moyne's 13th-ranked offense (69.8)
The Dolphins:
- Le Moyne's 11-5 overall record includes four out-of-region contests, which brings the Dolphins' in-region mark to 10-2
- The Dolphins started the season with five consecutive victories and wins in eight of their first nine games. Le Moyne's lone NE10 blemish came on a buzzer-beater against Bentley
- Offensively, Le Moyne sees eight players average between 6.0-11.8 points per contest. Six Dolphins have hit at least 15 three-pointers this season
The Series:
- Le Moyne and Merrimack are mired in a 16-16 deadlock in the all-time series after splitting the two contests last year
- Merrimack has won its last two trips to Ted Grant Count and three of its last four overall against Le Moyne
Up Next
Merrimack plays in just one game next week, a Wednesday night trip to West Haven, Conn. to take on the University of New Haven.
