Women’s Basketball Hosts UMass Lowell in Last Game Before Break

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's basketball team comes home to face off against UMass Lowell on Saturday, December 21th.  The Warriors come into the game fresh off a 75-72 near upset victory against the University of Illinois last Tuesday.  UMass Lowell is currently sitting at 3-8 on the season. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. and can be streamed on NEC Front Row.

• Senior Denia Davis-Stewart is not only leading the team in points and rebounds, but she is also leading in blocks.  Her 5.1 blocks per game average is currently second best in the country.  She also has 46 blocks total on the season, which is also good enough for top shot blocker in Division I.
• Freshman Diamond Christian has provided a much-needed spark off of the bench for the Warriors.  During the last three games Christian is averaging 18 minutes and 10.6 points in the span. 
• Freshman point guard Jayme DeCesare continues to have a stellar first season with the Warriors handling the ball.  She has 35 assists through nine games and only seven turnovers.  DeCesare also has 12 steals on the season, which ties her for second on the team. She also leads the conference in assist/turnover ratio with 5.0.
• The Warriors are currently shooting 77.9% from the free throw line, which ranks them in the top 20 nationally.
• Saturday's game will be the first time these two have matched up since 2013 when UMass Lowell beat Merrimack 91-72 at home.  The River Hawks lead the lifetime series 10-2.  This will be the first time that the schools will meet when both are at the Division I level.

 
Scouting the Opposition

Merrimack (5-4)	Stat Category	UMass Lowell (3-8)
68.0	Points Per Game	52.6
59.9	Points Allowed Per Game	65.6
.376	Field Goal Percentage	.341
.346	Three-Point FG Percentage	.230
40.2	Rebounds Per Game	36.3
Denia Davis Stewart (17.3 ppg­)	Points Leader	Ren'Cia Rolling (11.5 ppg)
Davis-Stewart (12.2 rpg)	Rebounds Leader	Denise Solis (6.4 rpg)
Jayme DeCesare (3.9 apg)	Assists Leader	Jaliena Sanchez (2.5 apg)
Courtney Clasen (1.7 spg)	Steals Leader	Rolling (2.5 spg)
Davis-Stewart (5.1 bpg)	Blocks Leader	Solis (0.8 bpg)

 
Up Next:
The Warriors close out 2019 when they host the University of Vermont on Sunday, December 29^th at 3 p.m.