| Matchup |
Merrimack (3-2) vs
#12/11 Florida Southern (3-0) // Saint Leo (2-2) |
| Date/Time |
Fri., Nov. 23 (7:30 p.m.) // Sat., Nov. 24 (5:30 p.m.) |
| Venue |
Lakeland, Fla. // Jenkins Field House |
| Multimedia |
Live Stats // Watch // Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Fresh off the program's second Northeast-10 Conference victory of the season, the Merrimack College men's basketball program will be Thanksgiving Day in the air as the Warriors prepare to play their first regular season games in the state of Florida in 15 years this week. Merrimack will play in the Terrace Hotel Classic, facing the host No. 12/11 Florida Southern Mocs on Friday night (7:30 p.m.) followed by the Saint Leo Lions on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Both contests will be played at the Jenkins Field House in Lakeland, Fla.
Five Things to Know:
- Merrimack recovered from a 14-0 run to start the second half for Southern New Hampshire last night as the Penmen raced out to a 48-40 lead. The Warriors used separate runs of 10-0, 8-2 and 9-0 over the final 15 minutes of the half to emerge with a 75-69 victory
- Freshman Mikey Watkins posted the best game of his young career on Tuesday, posting a career-best nine points on 4-of-8 shooting off the bench. The Roselle, N.J. native was a plus-20 when he was on the floor, which was by far the highest plus-minus total on the Warriors
- Junior Juvaris Hayes notched a season-best 29 points on 12-of-23 shooting, vaulting into fourth in the conference with 20.8 points per game. He leads the conference in steals per game (3.6), while ranking among the top-ten in rebounds (8.0) and assists (5.0) per contest
- Classmate Idris Joyner has enjoyed a superb start to the year, leading Merrimack and ranking second in the NE10 in field-goal percentage (68.9), while also ranking seventh in the league in rebounding (8.4/game). Additionally, the Plainfield, N.J. entered the week ranked fourth nationwide in field-goal percentage
- The Warriors' defense continues to be the program's calling card. Merrimack has allowed less than 70 points in four of five games this season, ranking second in the conference in scoring defense (59.6). The Warriors also rank third in the NE10 in field-goal percentage defense (39.6)
Series History:
- Friday will mark the Warriors' fourth-ever meeting and fourth-ever trip to Lakeland the face Florida Southern. Saturday will mark the program's third-ever game against Saint Leo
- The Warriors have an 0-3 record against the Mocs, last playing both Florida Southern and Saint Leo in the 1999-00 campaign. Merrimack has won both previous meetings against the Lions
- Merrimack's last games in the state of Florida came at the end of the 2003 calendar year, when the Warriors played three consecutive games in the Sunshine State against Nova Southeastern, Barry University and Florida Tech
Scouting the Opposition
Up Next:
Merrimack returns to campus on Monday afternoon, and preps for a pair of Northeast Division road games next week, beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 28, against Stonehill at 7:30 p.m. in Easton, Mass.
