Women’s Basketball Invades Easton, Faces Nationally Ranked Stonehill Wednesday

Matchup	Merrimack (14-9, 10-8 NE10) at #8/20 Stonehill (21-2, 17-1 NE10)
Date/Time	Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2018 (5:30 p.m.)
Venue	Easton, Mass. // Merkert Gymnasium (Tickets)
Multimedia	Live Stats // Video // Twitter // Instagram

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Playing its first of two nationally ranked programs this week, the Merrimack College women's basketball program takes on Northeast Division leaders and No. 8/20 Stonehill on Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. from Merkert Gymnasium in Easton, Mass. Having already clinched a playoff berth, the Warriors will look to climb in the standings with a win over the Skyhawks.  

NE10 Postseason Outlook:
The five postseason qualifiers out of the Northeast Division have already been decided entering the final three games of the regular season. Merrimack can climb as high as third, trailing Saint Anselm and Southern New Hampshire by one game. The third-place finisher earns a bye until the quarterfinals, while the fourth- and fifth-place teams play in the opening round on Friday, Feb. 23.

1. Stonehill (21-2, 17-1)
2. Bentley (20-3, 14-3)
3. Saint Anselm (15-9, 11-6)
4. SNHU (15-8, 11-7)
5. Merrimack (14-9, 10-8)

Last Time Out:

• The Warriors saw sophomore Denia Davis-Stewart dominate the interior, totaling a career-best 17 points while tying her career high with 16 rebounds, leading Merrimack into the postseason with a seven-point win over SNHU. Davis-Stewart shot 8-of-12 from the field and finished with six blocks, her third-straight game with six
• Freshman Mayson Kimball hit her first three attempts from three-point range in the opening half, finishing second on the team with 13 points to go along with seven rebounds
• Defensively, the Warriors contained the Penmen from beyond the arc, forcing SNHU to shoot 4-of-20 from distance
• The win locked up a NE10 Championship berth for Merrimack, ensuring the Warriors finish no lower than fifth in the division

'Mack Facts:

• The Navy and Gold swept the conference's weekly awards, with Davis-Stewart earning Player of the Week and Kimball receiving her second Rookie of the Week award
• Davis-Stewart averaged 13.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 6.0 blocks per game in Merrimack's two wins, increasing her team lead in double-doubles to five. Kimball led the Warriors in scoring at 14.0 points per game, shooting over 50 percent from the field and nearly 70 percent from three-point range
• Merrimack has now won 10 of a possible 13 NE10 Rookie of the Weeks, with Kimball collecting two and classmmate Alyssa Casey receiving eight
• Davis-Stewart has 65 blocks through 12 games, averaging over five per contest. She ranks second in the NE10 in total rejections and tied for 15^th nationwide
• Junior Lindsay Werner leads Merrimack in scoring at 16.1 points per game. She paces the Warriors 57 three-pointers, which is a new career high and five away from tying the program single-season record
• Merrimack has won six of its last seven games entering this week, and the Warriors' 14 wins this season are tied for the second most of the tenure of seventh-year head coach Monique LeBlanc

The Skyhakws:

• Stonehill has yet to lose in 2018, entering Wednesday on a 12-game winning streak. Stonehill owns a two-game lead for the division with three contests remaining
• The Skyhawks have risen to No. 20 in the Division II Coaches' Poll, and are No. 8 in the national media poll
• Stonehill boasts the only player in the NE10 with more blocks than Davis-Stewart in senior Elizabeth Grip, who has 83 rejections through 23 contests
• Senior Kelly Martin leads three Skyhawks in double figures with 15.5 points per game, followed by fellow senior Samantha Hyslip's 13.4 points per contest average. Hyslip is second on the team with a 49.4 shooting percentage

The Series:

• Merrimack played Stonehill tightly in their first meeting, falling to the Skyhawks by a 62-60 final
• The Warriors outscored the Skyhawks by 12 in the third quarter only to see Stonehill mount a comeback in the fourth to prevail. Casey finished with 28 points on 12-of-24 shooting, accounting for nearly half of Merrimack's offense
• The Navy and Gold have won their last two trips to Merkert Gym. Three years ago the programs meet in Easton when Stonehill was also nationally ranked, which saw Merrimack nearly upset the Skyhawks

Up Next:
The Warriors face another nationally recognized program in No. 14 Bentley on Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m. The contest is being played earlier than usual to accommodate the opening weekend of Bentley's new hockey area on campus.