| Matchup |
Merrimack (6-5) at
American International (3-6) |
| Date/Time |
Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018 (5:30 p.m.) |
| Venue |
Springfield, Mass. // Butova Gymnasium |
| Multimedia |
Live Stats // Watch // Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Playing in the program's penultimate contest of the 2018 calendar year, the Merrimack College men's basketball program will head to Springfield, Mass. on Tuesday night to face American International in a 5:30 p.m. non-conference affair from Butova Gymnasium.
Five Things to Know:
- Merrimack ended its first seven games against the Northeast Division with a 4-3 record, and sit in third place in the division via its head-to-head victory over Stonehill. American International posted a 2-4 record in its first run through the Southwest Division, including a win against division-leading Le Moyne
- The Warriors enter Tuesday having scored at least 80 points in sixth straight games, the longest such streak for the program since the first six games of the 2007-08 campaign. The streak has seen Merrimack's offense rise to seventh in the NE10, while AIC's scoring offense ranks last in the league
- Junior Juvaris Hayes continues to produce as one of the top guards in the country. He leads the country in field goals (98), which is also 25 more buckets than any other player in the region. He also serves as the team leader in points per game (22.6), free throws made (53), assists (62), steals (45) and is second in total rebounds (78). He also leads the conference and nation in steals per game (4.1)
- Merrimack's offense also features four other players averaging at least 9.5 points per game. Senior Ryan Boulter leads the quartet with 13.2 points per contest followed by juniors Jaleel Lord (12.5), Idris Joyner (10.6) and sophomore Khalief Crawford (9.5). Joyner leads the team and ranks third in the conference with a 67.2 field-goal percentage
- Off the bench, a pair of reserves have taken advantage of an increase in playing time. Freshman Mikey Watkins scored a career-high 12 points off the bench last week while sophomore Devin Jensen followed with a career-best 10 points on Saturday against Saint Michael's. Senior Troy McLaughlin started both games last week, playing in his most minutes (30, 27) so far this year
Series History:
- The 82nd meeting between the two programs will go down on Tuesday night. AIC owns a nine-game edge (45-36) in the all-time series
- Merrimack has a three-game winning streak in the series, though, including consecutive double-digit triumphs in Springfield
- Defensively, the Warriors dominated last year's contest by holding AIC to 28.6 percent shooting, including a 2-of-15 effort from distance. Merrimack forced 20 AIC turnovers, as well
Scouting the Opposition
| Merrimack (6-5) |
Stat Category |
American International (3-6) |
| 77.5 |
Points Per Game |
65.9 |
| 71.1 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
67.9 |
| .463 |
Field Goal Percentage |
.421 |
| .336 |
Three-Point FG Percentage |
.312 |
| 33.4 |
Rebounds Per Game |
35.7 |
| Juvaris Hayes (22.6 ppg) |
Points Leader |
Xion Golding (9.7 ppg) |
| Idris Joyner (7.8 rpg) |
Rebounds Leader |
Zekiah Owens (5.1 rpg) |
| Hayes (5.6 apg) |
Assists Leader |
Logan Santiago (2.6 apg) |
| Hayes (4.1 spg) |
Steals Leader |
Santiago (1.2 spg) |
| Joyner (1.5 bpg) |
Blocks Leader |
Bane Terzic (1.0 bpg) |
Up Next:
Merrimack will have a 19-day layoff before it heads to Delaware to face Goldey-Beacom at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 30. Goldey-Beacom entered 2018-19 as the reigning CACC South Division champion, and boasts the reigning CACC Player of the Year in senior Corey Taite.
