Men’s Basketball Welcomes Back Alumni Saturday vs. SNHU

Matchup	Southern New Hampshire (13-9, 9-8 NE10) Merrimack (15-9, 11-6 NE10)
Date/Time	Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018 (3 p.m.)
Venue	Hammel Court // North Andover, Mass. (Tickets)
Multimedia	Live Stats // Video // Twitter // Instagram

 
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's basketball program hosts Alumni Day on Saturday against Southern New Hampshire at 1 p.m. from Hammel Court. The Warriors will look to avenge their loss earlier this season to the Penmen and get back on track in their penultimate home game of the season.  

Gameday Promotions:

• The first 100 students at Saturday's game will receive a basketball drawstring bag courtesy of the Athletics Department. One drawstring bag will be given per Mack Card
• The full schedule for Alumni Day came be found here. The basketball programs will be offering complimentary food services and a cash bar through 6 p.m. in the Blue Line Club during Saturday's games

NE10 Postseason Outlook:
The top-five programs in the Northeast Division advance to the NE10 Championship. The fourth-place finisher hosts the No. 5 seed from the Southwest Division, while the fifth-place finisher travels to the No. 4 seed out of the Southwest for the First Round. Seeds No. 1-3 earn byes to the Quarterfinals

1. Saint Anselm (17-6, 12-5)
2. Merrimack (15-9, 11-6)
3. Stonehill (14-9, 10-7)
4. SNHU (13-9, 9-8)
5. Bentley (12-10, 9-8)
6. Franklin Pierce (13-9, 8-9)
7. Assumption (7-16, 3-14)
8. Saint Michael's (5-17, 2-15)

Last Time Out:

• The Warriors suffered an 18-point defeat to Franklin Pierce on Thursday night, enduring an offensive onslaught that saw the Ravens shoot nearly 60 percent from the field
• Sophomore Juvaris Hayes and junior Troy McLaughlin each scored in double figures for the Navy and Gold. Hayes recorded four steals, setting a new career high with 90 this season

'Mack Facts:

• Hayes became the first Warrior with 90 thefts in a season in at least 17 years, and the first NE10 student-athlete to reach 90 in a single season since the 2004-05 campaign
• The Warriors have a one game lead over third place in the Northeast Division, and trail first place by one game. The top-two teams in the division are guaranteed to host at least one NE10 Championship game
• Hayes maintained his national lead in total steals, with 195 through 24 games. He now is tied for national average in assists per game at 8.1
• Merrimack ranks eighth in the NE10 in scoring offense (74.7) and fourth in scoring defense (71.6). The Warriors lead the Northeast Division in scoring defense

The Penmen:

• After suffering a six-game losing streak in January, the Penmen have rebounded to win two of their last three games
• Chris Walters is currently averaging 24.4 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game, emerging as a NE10 Player of the Year candidate
• The Penmen's offense is one of the best in the conference, averaging close to 80 points per contest. Junior Daquaise Andrews joins Walters and senior Dimitri Floras in double figures with 18.45 points per game

The Series:

• Merrimack and SNHU played an extra five minutes in November's game, an 84-79 win for the Penmen
• Four Warriors scored in double figures in the game, including 23 combined points off the bench for sophomores Jaleel Lord and Idris Joyner
• The Penmen are now 31-26 all-time against Merrimack, with Saturday being the 58^th all-time meeting between the opponents

Up Next
The Navy and Gold go on the road to face red-hot Stonehill College on Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. in Easton, Mass.