NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's basketball program will wrap up its bust November slate when the Warriors visit the University of Akron for the first time on Friday evening. Tip-off from the James A. Rhodes Arena is set for 7 p.m. in Akron, Ohio. Friday's contest marks the first in Warriors history against a program from the Mid-American Conference.
Audio links are available above via Akron's radio broadcast as well as the TuneIn app. There will not be a telecast or web stream of Friday night's game.
Matchup Comparison:
| Category |
Merrimack (5-3) |
Akron (4-2) |
| Scoring Offense |
65.4 |
76.0 |
| Scoring Defense |
58.6 |
65.3 |
| Field-Goal % |
40.9% |
40.1% |
| Field-Goal % Defense |
41.0% |
36.0% |
| 3-PT Field Goal % |
31.9% |
32.0% |
| 3-PT Field Goal % Defense |
27.1% |
29.4% |
| 3-PT Field Goal Attempts |
229 |
172 |
| Free-Throw Percentage |
73.6% |
77.2% |
| Winning Percentage |
.625 |
.666 |
| Rebounding Margin |
-8.0 |
-0.9 |
| Assists/Game |
13.4 |
12.7 |
| Steals/Game |
11.4 |
4.7 |
| Turnovers/Game |
10.6 |
13.3 |
| Blocks/Game |
3.0 |
4.0 |
| Total Fouls |
136 |
112 |
ROAD WARRIORS
The Warriors' early season success as the newest Division I program has brought plenty of notoriety: Merrimack took down Northwestern to post just the second win ever for a Northeast Conference (NEC) institution against a Big Ten adversary. The Warriors have also picked up last-season road victories over UMass Lowell and Hartford. As of Wednesday, Merrimack joined Furman, William & Mary and Vermont as the nation's leaders in road wins (3)
SCOUTING THE ZIPS
Akron has won four of its first six games including a perfect 4-0 mark on its home court. The Zips own wins against Malone University, North Carolina Central, South Carolina Upstate and Youngstown State. Akron has also travelled to West Virginia and Louisville, playing close games in defeats to the Mountaineers and the Cardinals. Akron's calling card has been on defense, sporting the MAC's top field-goal percentage defense (36.0), which ranks 20th nationwide.
800 CAREER ASSISTS ... AND COUNTING
Senior point guard
Juvaris Hayes recorded his 800th career assist on Sunday at Hartford, becoming the third player in Merrimack history to do so. Hayes needs 28 more assists to set a new program record, currently owned by Darren Duncan '10. His 7.8 career assists per game average is up there in program history as well. Peter Dufour leads all former Warriors with a career assists average of 9.0 per contest
LOCK IT DOWN
Merrimack's defense is among the best in the NEC in the early parts of the season. The Warriors are currently allowing a league-best 58.6 points per game - nearly 10 points fewer than any other team in the conference. The Warriors' .410 field-goal percentage defense ranks second in the confernece while Merrimack's 3-point field-goal defense (.271) sits atop the league rankings, as well. More league-leading stats include steals and turnover margin, where Merrimack's 11.38 thefts per game and +7.50 turnover margin are the best in the league. If Merrimack qualified, the Warriors would rank eighth nationally in steals and 12th in turnover margin.
FROM DEEP!
Merrimack ranks second in the NEC in 3-pointers made (73), and are one of four teams in the league averaging over nine makes per contest. Senior
Jaleel Lord ranks fourth in the league with 18 treys and Junior
Devin Jensen sits in seventh with 16. Jensen is one of eight players currently shooting over 40 percent from deep (.406).
HISTORY AGAINST AKRON
Merrimack and Akron will meet for the first time in school history on Friday. It marks Merrimack's first-ever game in the state of Ohio and first against an opponent from the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
Up Next:
Merrimack returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 4, when the Warriors visit Brown University at the Pizzitola Sports Center. The action will be streamed live via ESPN+ beginning at 7 p.m. in Providence, R.I.
