Women’s Basketball Welcomes Franklin Pierce to Hammel Court Wednesday Evening

Matchup	Merrimack (4-4, 0-4 NE10) vs Franklin Pierce (1-6, 0-4 NE10)
Date/Time	Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018 (5:30 p.m.)
Venue	North Andover, MA // Hammel Court (Tickets)
Multimedia	Live Stats // Watch // Twitter // Instagram

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Looking for the program's first divisional victory of the season, the Merrimack College women's basketball program returns home as they host Franklin Pierce University in the first game of Wednesday night's Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader. The game is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff at Hammel Court.

Five Things to Know:

• Offensively, the Warriors are off to one of their best starts in recent memory. The program ranks fourth in the NE10 in scoring offense (72.6 ppg), trailing Saint Anselm (76.1), Bentley (86.1), and Southern New Hampshire (73.5). The program also ranks fourth in 3-point percentage (33.5%), trailing Bentley (47.8), Saint Michael's (39.2), and Stonehill (33.8).
• On the other side of the floor, Merrimack is second in the country in blocked shots (48) and blocked shots per game (6.0). Those efforts are aided by junior forward Denia Davis-Stewart, who leads the country in blocked shots (39) and ranks second in blocked shots per game (4.88).
• Senior Lindsay Werner continues to lead the offense with 17.0 points per game, placing her eighth in the league in scoring. Sophomores Alyssa Casey (13.6 ppg) and Mayson Kimball (10.9 ppg) join the captain by averaging in double figures.
• Senior guard Karlee Alves facilitates the offense with a team-best and Division II leading 64 assists (8.0 apg). She's posted at least five helpers in every game, including a single-game record 15 assists on opening night. She has also recorded 36 steals which leads Division II; she is averaging 4.5 steals per game which ranks first in the conference and second in the country.
• Head coach Monique LeBlanc is nearing her 100^th career win at Merrimack, entering Wednesday night's contest with 93 career wins. She is aiming to become the third coach in program history to reach the century mark, joining Debbie Cogan (1986-1999) and Ann McInerney (1999-2005)

 
Series History:

• Wednesday marks the 35^th all-time meeting in the series, with the Ravens owning a 20-14 advantage.
• Merrimack has a chance to win its sixth straight game against Franklin Pierce. The Warriors defeated the Ravens by more than 30 points in their previous two matchups.
• Werner torched the Ravens in both games last season, scoring in double figures in both games, averaging 19.0 points per game.

Scouting the Opposition

Merrimack (4-4, 0-4 NE10)	Stat Category	Franklin Pierce (1-6, 0-4 NE10)
72.6	Points Per Game	54.4
63.9	Points Allowed Per Game	66.7
.402	Field Goal Percentage	.351
.335	Three-Point FG Percentage	.261
42.3	Rebounds Per Game	36.3
Lindsey Werner (17.0 ppg)	Points Leader	Mya Mosley (9.8)
Denia Davis-Stewart (8.8 rpg)	Rebounds Leader	Izzy Lipinski (7.1)
Karlee Alves (8.0 apg)	Assists Leader	Mosley (3.5)
Alves (4.5 spg)	Steals Leader	Demi Akins (1.4)
Davis-Stewart (4.9 bpg)	Blocks Leader	Lipinksi/Mosley (1.0)

 
Up Next:
Merrimack will remain at home as they host Saint Michael's on Saturday afternoon. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. tipoff at Hammel Court.