| Matchup |
Merrimack (9-6, 4-4 NE10) vs.
Pace (10-5, 4-3 NE10) |
| Date/Time |
Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019 // 3 p.m. (Tickets) |
| Venue |
North Andover, Mass. // Hammel Court |
| Multimedia |
Live Stats // Watch // Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's basketball program will look to start a new winning streak on Saturday when the Warriors face Pace University at 3 p.m. at Hammel Court. Merrimack will welcome back all-time great Darren Duncan '10, who will be recognized in a pregame ceremony for this summer's induction to the Northeast-10 Conference Hall of Fame.
Promotions
- Duncan was one of five individuals inducted to the NE10 Hall of Fame this past summer, as part of the Class of 2018. He is the first member of the men's basketball program to receive the conference's highest honor
- The pregame ceremony will begin at approximately 3 p.m., and occur right before starting lineup introductions. Fans are asked to be in their seats promptly to partake in the festivities
- Tickets to tomorrow's game can ban purchased online via the link above. Individual tickets are also available for purchase directly outside Hammel Court. Ticket sales are CASH ONLY
Five Things to Know:
- Playing another one of the NE10's top programs away from campus, the Warriors suffered an 80-71 defeat at Southern Connecticut. The Owls lead the Southwest Division, and own the conference's third best record, trailing only Saint Anselm (8-0) and Bentley (7-1). The Warriors have played the Owls, Hawks and Falcons on the road in three of their first four NE10 road games
- Senior Troy McLaughlin posted his best effort of the season Wednesday, finishing with a season-best 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting including three triples. Freshman Mikey Watkins added 15 points off the bench as the reserve guards led a near 18-point comeback that saw Merrimack within four, 71-67, with two minutes to go
- Junior Juvaris Hayes nearly made it three straight games with double-doubles, falling one assist shy in an 11-point, nine-helper effort against the Hawks. He picked up his 640th career assist to move into the top 10 in NE10 history, sitting in a tie for ninth. With two helpers, he will move into eighth place and have the most career assists for any NE10 player since Duncan
- The sharpshooting tandem of senior Ryan Boulter and junior Jaleel Lord are second and third, respectively, in 3-pointers made. Boulter has sank 42 to lead the team followed by Lord's 41. Fellow junior Idris Joyner is among the region's leaders in blocked shots, totaling 24 over 15 games. He's four shy of tying his previous career high
- Pace is off to one of its best starts in recent memory, winning 10 of 15 games. The Setters won eight games all of last season. Three Setters are averaging in double figures led by Peyton Wejnert at 17.3 points per game. Pace is tied for second in the Southwest, despite shooting just 27.1 percent from beyond the arc – the worst percentage in the league
Series History:
- Merrimack's 37th meeting against Pace will be tomorrow, with the Warriors needing two wins to even the all-time series (17-19)
- Last season, Merrimack bested Pace by four on the road (72-68). Hayes led the way with 17 points while sophomore Khalief Crawford added 13 points on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range
- Pace's last trip to Hammel Court saw Merrimack drop 100 points on the Setters. In that game, Boulter (23) and McLaughlin (20) posted 20-point efforts while Hayes added 12 assists
Scouting the Opposition
| Merrimack (9-6, 4-4 NE10) |
Stat Category |
Pace (10-5, 4-3 NE10) |
| 77.7 |
Points Per Game |
71,5 |
| 69.4 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
67.0 |
| .469 |
Field Goal Percentage |
.439 |
| .342 |
Three-Point FG Percentage |
.271 |
| 33.1 |
Rebounds Per Game |
37.1 |
| Juvaris Hayes (20.3 ppg) |
Points Leader |
Peyton Wejnert (17.3 ppg) |
| Idris Joyner (7.3 rpg) |
Rebounds Leader |
Wejnert (7.5 rpg) |
| Hayes (6.5 apg) |
Assists Leader |
Brandon Jacobs (6.1 apg) |
| Hayes (3.9 spg) |
Steals Leader |
Jacobs (2.1 spg) |
| Joyner (1.6 bpg) |
Blocks Leader |
Greg Poleon (0.9 bpg) |
Up Next:
Merrimack and Adelphi will do battle on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Garden City, N.Y.
