Men’s Basketball Hosts First NE10 Quarterfinal in Eight Years Sunday vs. New Haven

Matchup	#3 SW New Haven (17-9) at #2 NE Merrimack (18-10) NE10 Championship - Quarterfinals
Date/Time	Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018 (3 p.m.)
Venue	North Andover, Mass // Hammel Court (Tickets)
Multimedia	Live Stats // Video // Twitter // Instagram

 
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's basketball program will begin play in the 2018 Northeast-10 Conference Championship on Sunday afternoon, hosting a quarterfinal match as the second seed out of the Northeast Division. The Warriors will welcome third-seeded New Haven out of the Southwest Division for a 3 p.m. tip-off at Hammel Court in a rematch of last season's opening-round match that went in favor of the Chargers.    

Game Day Promotions:

• Warrior White Out: All students in attendance will receive a basketball-specific white t-shirt to White Out Hammel Court! Shirts will be available while supplies last
• Free Pizza: Court of our friends at Mr. Takeout, free pizza will be served in the lobby outside Hammel Court beginning at 2:15 p.m.
• Get to Hammel early, grab your gear and grub and support the Warriors against the Chargers!

NE10 Championship Schedule:
First Round ­ Friday, February 23
Game 1:  Adelphi (No. 5 seed SW) at Stonehill (No. 4 seed NE) – 7:00 PM
Game 2:  Southern New Hampshire (No. 5 seed NE) at Southern Connecticut (No. 4 seed SW) – 7:00 PM 

Quarterfinals ­ Sunday, February 25
Game 3:  Game 1 winner at Le Moyne (No. 1 seed SW) – 4:00 PM
Game 4:  Game 2 winner at Saint Anselm (No. 1 seed NE) – 3:00 PM
Game 5:  Bentley (No. 3 seed NE) at Saint Rose (No. 2 seed SW) – 3:00 PM
Game 6:  New Haven (No. 3 seed SW) at Merrimack (No. 2 seed NE) – 3:00 PM

Semifinals ­ Wednesday, February 28^th (at highest seeds remaining):
Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 3 winner - 7:00 PM
Game 8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 4 winner - 7:00 PM

Championship ­ Saturday, March 3^rd (at highest seed remaining):
Game 9:  Game 8 winner vs. Game 7 winner - 1:00 PM | Broadcast live on Northeast10.tv

Last Time Out:

• Merrimack celebrated Senior Night on Tuesday against Saint Michael's, honoring the careers of redshirt-senior Tawayne Anderson Jr. and Kyle Howes. Anderson Jr. posted his first-ever double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Howes registered 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting
• Despite holding a 11-point halftime lead, the Warriors faced a 69-69 deadlock with less than three minutes to play. Sophomore Juvaris Hayes scored the first four points of an 11-1 game-ending run that gave Merrimack the win. Junior Ryan Boulter clinched the game with a pair of triples
• Hayes and Boulter tied for the team lead with 16 points apiece. Sophomore Jaleel Lord posted 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench

'Mack Facts:

• The Warriors were ranked ninth in the most recent NCAA Division II East Region poll, with the Chargers coming in at No. 10. The top-eight advance to the NCAA Tournament, with the field announced one week from Sunday
• Merrimack has made the NE10 Championship in back-to-back years under second-year head coach Joe Gallo. With a win, the Warriors will reach the NE10 Semifinals for the first time since 2009-10
• Sunday will be a battle of two of the top-four scoring defenses in the conference. Merrimack ended the season leading the Northeast Division, allowing 71.2 points per game
• Hayes recorded his 500^th career assist on Tuesday night, and is second in the nation this year in total assists (217) and assists per game (7.8).
• The second-year point guard has distanced himself among the nation's leaders in steals, totaling 107 for an average of 3.82 per game. He has 18 more thefts than anyone nationwide. The Paterson, N.J. native needs eight more to set a single-season NE10 record
• Both Hayes and Boulter are within reach of 1,000 career points. Hayes (956) and Boulter (946) would become the 44^th and 45^th players in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone

The Chargers:

• New Haven ended the regular season on a three-game winning streak, including wins against regionally ranked Bloomfield and Southwest Division champion Le Moyne
• The Chargers finished third in the Southwest with a 13-7 NE10 ledger, two games clear of fourth place and two games back of second
• Senior do-it-all guard Danny Upchurch leads the Chargers in points (19.5), assists (6.7) and steals (1.2) per game, while ranking second in rebounds per contest (5.1)

The Series:

• The Warriors hold a 23-14 advantage over the Chargers, despite losing the last two games in the all-time series including the regular season tilt between the programs back in January
• Last year, the Chargers ousted the Warriors from the conference tourney by blitzing Merrimack, 84-58, in the 2016-17 opening round at Hammel
• New Haven won by two in January, 77-75, in a game that saw the Warrior pull within one point late after trailing by nine with 3:55 remaining

Up Next
With a win, the Warriors will await the winner of the NE10 Quarterfinal hosted by top-seeded Le Moyne on Sunday. If the Dolphins win, the Warriors will travel to Syracuse, N.Y. for the semifinals, but if the Dolphins are upset, the Navy and Gold would host the semifinal round.