Women’s Basketball Takes on Illinois in Non-Conference Matchup

Matchup	Merrimack (5-3) at University of Illinois (6-2)
Date/Time	Tuesday, December 9, 2019 // 8 p.m.
Venue	State Farm Center // Champaign, Ill.
Multimedia	Live Stats // Watch // Twitter // Instagram

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's basketball team heads to the University of Illinois to take on the Illini.  The game on Tuesday will be the first time a Merrimack women's basketball team will face a Big Ten opponent.  The Warriors come into the game on a two-game winning streak after victories over Brown and Fisher College.  During the streak, the Warriors are averaging 76.5 point a game, which is almost 10 points better then their season average. 

Five Things to Know:

• Senior forward Denia Davis-Stewart continues to lead the Northeast Conference (NEC) in rebounding (11.9), blocked shots average (5.4) and defensive rebounds (9.3).  She also still leads the country in blocked shots with 43, which is nine more than any other player.  
• Sophomore guard Kate Mager currently ranks 13^th in the NEC in scoring with 11.6 points a game.  Mager also ranks third in the conference in three-point percentage (.449) and is tied for second in three pointers made per game with 2.8.
• Freshman point guard Jayme DeCesare is leading the conference in assist/turnover ratio with 4.3.  DeCesare has 26 assists on the season to only six turnovers.  She is the only guard on the list with single digit turnovers.  
• The Warriors are currently shooting 80.8% from the free throw line, which ranks them fourth in the country behind William & Mary, Lipscomb, and Portland State. 
• Illinois is 6-2 on the season after a loss to North Carolina last Thursday.  Redshirt junior Petra Holesinska leads the team in scoring with 14.3 points a game.

Scouting the Opposition

Merrimack (4-3)	Stat Category	Illinois (6-2)
67.5	Points Per Game	71.6
58.0	Points Allowed Per Game	64.9
.366	Field Goal Percentage	.408
.335	Three-Point FG Percentage	.383
41.4	Rebounds Per Game	38.0
Denia Davis Stewart (16.3 ppg­)	Points Leader	Petra Holesinska (14.3 ppg)
Davis-Stewart (11.9 rpg)	Rebounds Leader	Kennedi Myles (9.8 rpg)
Jayme DeCesare (3.3 apg)	Assists Leader	Jeanae Jones (3.8 apg)
Courtney Clasen (1.6 spg)	Steals Leader	Myles (2.6 spg)
Davis-Stewart (5.4 bpg)	Blocks Leader	Three tied (1.0 bpg)

 
Up Next:
The Warriors will be off until December 21^st when the UMass Lowell Riverhawks come to town for the last game before Christmas break.  Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.