| Matchup |
Southern Connecticut (6-5, 3-3 NE10) at
Merrimack (9-4, 6-1 NE10) |
| Date/Time |
Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018 (7:30 p.m.) |
| Venue |
Hammel Court // North Andover, Mass. (Tickets) |
| Multimedia |
Live Stats // Video // Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team plays in its third home game in a row on Wednesday night when the Warriors begin the cross-divisional portion of their Northeast-10 Conference schedule against Southern Connecticut State at 7:30 p.m. from Hammel Court.
Last Time Out:
- The Warriors saw their season-long five-game winning streak snapped on New Year's Eve, 75-60, against the visiting Dominican College Chargers
- Sophomore Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, N.J.) led the Warriors with 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting and posted a team-high five assists
- Freshman guard Khalief Crawford (Linden, N.J.) and senior wing Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) each finished with 10 points apiece
- Sophomore Idris Joyner (Plainfield, N.J.) notched team highs with nine rebounds and three blocks
'Mack Facts:
- Merrimack ranks seventh in the NE10 in scoring offense (75.5 ppg) and third in scoring defense (70.2). The Warriors force their opponents in 15.7 turnovers per game, the second-most in the NE10, while the Navy and Gold's 8.7 steals per game average leads the league
- Hayes maintained his pace to set a new career high in scoring, leading Merrimack and ranking seventh in the NE10 with 18.2 points per game. Hayes has scored in double figures in 11 of 13 games this season
- Needing just two assists to reach 400 for his career, Hayes leads the NE10 and the country with 8.5 assists per game this season. He ranks second nationwide and second in the conference with 111 total assists
- Hayes' 3.8 steals per game average is 1.5 steals more than the next closest NE10 performer. His 50 steals pace the league as well, ranking second in steals per game and first in total steals nationwide
The Owls:
- After starting the season 0-3, the Owls have recovered to win six of their last eight games and four of their last five. In its most recent contest, Southern Connecticut bested University of the Sciences by 10, 64-54
- Isaiah McLeod leads Southern Connecticut in scoring average (19.2) and steals per game (2.1) while ranking second on the team in total assists (21) and total rebounds (64)
- Jerry Luckett Jr. has posted averaged of 14.8 points and a team-leading 6.3 rebounds per game
- Freshman Ulyen Coleman leads the team in three-point field goals (26), shooting 44 percent from distance
The Series:
- Wednesday will be the second tilt this season between the Warriors and Owls. Southern Connecticut edged Merrimack, 82-78, in a non-league matchup back in November
- The victory increased the Owls' edge in the all-time series to 25-21 over 46 meetings
- Four Warriors scored in double figures in the contest earlier this season, led by 26 points from Hayes. McLeod registered a double-double with 28 points and 10 rebounds, while shooting 6-of-8 from beyond the arc
Up Next
Merrimack travels to Pleasantville, N.Y. on Saturday afternoon for a 3:30 p.m. tip-off against Pace University.
