| Matchup |
Merrimack (6-7) at Sacred Heart (7-6) |
| Date/Time |
Thursday, Jan. 2, 2019 // 7:30 p.m. |
| Venue |
Fairfield, Conn. // Pitt Center |
| Multimedia |
Watch // Live Stats |
| Social |
Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – For the first time in school history, the Merrimack College men's basketball team will play a Northeast Conference game when the Warriors visit Sacred Heart University on Thursday night at the Pitt Center. Tip-off from the Pioneers' campus is set for 7:30 p.m. The matchup pits the league's top scoring defense (Merrimack) against the NEC's second best scoring offense (Sacred Heart).
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
The Pioneers enter conference play with an above-.500 record after being selected second in the NEC Preseason Poll. Sacred Heart ranks fourth nationally in free-throw percentage, sinking 80 percent of its attempts from the line. Despite the high scoring average, the Pioneers are 10th out of 11 teams in the NEC in 3-point percentage (.298). Defensively, the Pioneers lead the league in 3-point percentage allowed (.307) and second in field-goal percentage defense (.411). Individually, SHU is one of two teams in the NEC with two players averaging at least 15.0 points per game: E.J. Anosike (16.2) and Koreem Ozier (15.2).
HISTORY AGAINST SHU
The Warriors and Pioneers will resume an all-time series that last saw Merrimack and Sacred Heart play during the 1997-98 season. Sacred Heart owns a 13-3 edge in the all-time series with the first meeting occuring in 1966, a 115-96 Merrimack victory. The Warriors have never won at Sacred Heart.
Matchup Comparison:
| Category |
Merrimack (6-7) |
Sacred Heart (7-6) |
| Scoring Offense |
62.4 |
78.2 |
| Scoring Defense |
62.5 |
73.8 |
| Field-Goal % |
40.5% |
44.0% |
| Field-Goal % Defense |
44.4% |
41.1% |
| 3-PT Field Goal % |
30.3% |
29.8% |
| 3-PT Field Goal % Defense |
31.5% |
30.7% |
| 3-PT Field Goal Attempts |
337 |
325 |
| Free-Throw Percentage |
71.4% |
80.0% |
| Winning Percentage |
.462 |
.538 |
| Rebounding Margin |
-9.0 |
+3.8 |
| Assists/Game |
12.2 |
15.1 |
| Steals/Game |
10.1 |
5.9 |
| Turnovers/Game |
11.3 |
12.3 |
| Blocks/Game |
2.5 |
3.8 |
| Total Fouls |
222 |
202 |
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Merrimack joins Cal Baptist and North Alabama as programs going through the reclassification process to Division I. As part of the process, the Warriors will not be postseason eligible in the NEC and not be able to compete in the conference tournament; Merrimack will, however, count in the regular season standings and have an opportunity to claim a NEC Regular Season Championship. The Warriors also will not appear in the national statistics until the reclassification process completes ahead of the 2023-24 season. In men's baskteball, the Warriors are eligible for select postseason tournament such as the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) and the College Insider Tournament (CIT).
THE NEW ASSIST KING
With six helpers on Sunday against Boston University,
Juvaris Hayes surpassed Darren Duncan '10 as the program's all-time assists leader. Hayes enters Thursday with 826 career helpers, maintaining his career average of 7.7 assists per game. He ranks second in the NEC in assists per game (5.54), trailing only Sacred Heart's Cameron Parker (8.69), who is third nationally in helpers.
MAKE CHAOS
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 62.5 points per game - four points fewer than any other team in the conference. Merrimack's .315 3-point field goal percentage defense is particularly impressive, ranking third in the league. The team leads the league in steals and turnover margin, where Merrimack's 10.08 thefts per game and +5.77 turnover margin are the best in the league. If Merrimack qualified, the Warriors would rank ninth nationally in steals and 10th in turnover margin. The Warriors are one of nine teams in the country to average at least 10 steals per contest.
GAETANO COMES HOME
As a student, second-year assistant coach
Phil Gaetano played at Sacred Heart University from 2011-15 and graduated as one of the most decorated point guards in program history. He remains the Pioneers all-time assists leader (730) in their Division I history as well as distributing the third most assists in Northeast Conference (NEC) history. In addition to his on-court accolades, Gaetano became the first-ever three-time NEC Scholar Athlete of the Year (2013-15), graduating with a degree in business administration in 2014. He went on to earn his master's degree, also in business administration, in 2015.
Up Next:
The Warriors play their first NEC home game on Saturday afternoon when Merrimack welcomes Robert Morris – who head coach
Joe Gallo served as an assistant coach with prior to taking over the Warriors' bench – to Hammel Court for a 4 p.m. tip-off.
