Women’s Basketball Visits #14 Bentley Saturday

Matchup	Merrimack (14-10, 10-9 NE10) at #14 Bentley  (22-3, 16-3 NE10)
Date/Time	Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018 (12 p.m.)
Venue	Waltham, Mass. // Dana Center
Multimedia	Live Stats // Video // Twitter // Instagram

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's basketball program plays its final road game of the regular season on Saturday when the Warriors travel to No. 14 Bentley University on Saturday afternoon at the Dana Center. Due to the opening of Bentley's new ice hockey arena this weekend, the contest will be played at an atypical 12 p.m. tip-off.

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, but needs to win its final two games and get help around the league to do so. 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 (22-2, 18-1)
2. Bentley (22-3, 16-3)
3. Saint Anselm (16-10, 12-7)
4. SNHU (15-10, 11-8)
5. Merrimack (14-10, 10-9)

Last Time Out:

• The Warriors opened a first-quarter lead on No. 8/20 Stonehill on Wednesday in Easton and led most of the first half, but the Skyhawks rallied for a 62-51 win at Merkert Gym
• The lost kept Merrimack one game out of fourth place in the Northeast Division with two games remaining in the regular season
• For just the third time this season, freshman Mayson Kimball led the Warriors in scoring with 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting
• Sophomore center Denia Davis-Stewart recorded 10 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks in 27 minutes of work, shooting 5-of-11 from the floor

'Mack Facts:

• The Warriors need to win their final two games and get some help to move out of fifth place in the division. If Merrimack stays in fifth, the Warriors will travel to the fourth seed from the Southwest Division for the NE10 First Round on Friday
• Merrimack enters the weekend leading the conference and ranking 16^th nationwide in scoring defense (56.2). The Warriors have held their opponents under 60 times in 14 of 24 games this season, including in their last seven prior to the Stonehill game on Wednesday
• The consistent presence of Davis-Stewart in the Merrimack lineup has contributed to Merrimack's stout d-core. The Warriors' center has 72 blocks over 14 appearances for an average of 5.14 per game, which would lead the nation and rank as the eighth highest single-season average all-time in Division II. Davis-Stewart will qualify for national per-game averages once she plays in her 16th game of the season
• Junior Lindsay Werner leads Merrimack in scoring at 15.9 points per game. She leads the Warriors with 59 three-pointers, which is a new career high and three away from tying the program single-season record
• Merrimack has won six of its last eight 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 Falcons:

• Since the turn of the calendar year, the Falcons have won 10 of 12 games, ranking second in the division late in the regular season
• Bentley is ranked 14^th nationally in the coaches poll, and is the No. 3 program in the first NCAA Division II East Regional rankings unveiled on Wednesday afternoon
• Junior post Victoria Lux leads the Falcons with 13.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Two other Falcons average in double figures, graduate student Becca Musgrove (12.2 ppg) and Lauren Green (10.1 ppg)
• Tomorrow's matchup pits Bentley's league-best scoring offense (75.8 ppg) against Merrimack's NE10-leading scoring defense (56.2 ppg)

The Series:

• Playing without Davis-Stewart in the first matchup, the Warriors allowed a season-high 80 points in a loss to the Falcons
• Depsite the loss, Kimball won NE10 Rookie of the Week for her efforts against the Falcons earlier this season. The Webster native finished with a career-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting and 5-of-7 from beyond the arc
• Since Merrimack upset the Falcons on the road in 2014-15, Bentley has won the last six games in the all-time series

Up Next:
The Warriors celebrate Senior Night on Tuesday, honoring the careers of graduating seniors Cecilia Reyes and Emily Stephens as part of the festivities before hosting the Saint Michael's College Purple Knights at 5:30 p.m. from Hammel Court.