Men’s Basketball Looks to Stay Hot at Franklin Pierce

Matchup	Merrimack (16-7, 11-5 NE10) at Franklin Pierce (12-11, 8-8 NE10)
Date/Time	Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019 // 7:30 p.m.
Venue	Rindge, N.H. // The Fieldhouse
Multimedia	Live Stats // Watch // Twitter // Instagram

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team brings its four-game winning streak on the road Wednesday when the Warriors face Franklin Pierce University at 7:30 p.m. from the Fieldhouse in Rindge, N.H. The Warriors have won 11 of their last 13 games overall entering Wednesday's tilt with the Ravens.

Five Things to Know:

• Freshman Mikey Watkins scored 14 points off the bench to earn himself NE10 Rookie of the Week, helping Merrimack to a 61-39 upset of No. 17/17 Saint Anselm on Saturday. The defensive effort set a new season low for points allowed for Merrimack. It marked the Hawk's lowest point total in a game since the 1983-84 campaign. Merrimack relented just a pair of 3-point field goals to a program that entered the day ranked 12^th nationwide in three-point shooting
• During its current four-game run, the Warriors have allowed less than 65 points in each of the victories. The Warriors' scoring defense leads the Northeast Division and ranks second in the conference by allowing just 66.0 points per game this season. The Warriors' defense leads the NE10 in both turnovers forced (17.14) and steals per game (9.0)
• Junior Juvaris Hayes broke the 300 career steals marker on Saturday following his 14-point six-steal effort against the Hawks. The All-American point guard and nation's leader in thefts (91) became the fourth NE10 player ever with 300 career steals, and is three shy of moving into third all-time in league history. Hayes broke the conference's single-season record (124) last year, and currently ranks 18^th all-time in Division II history in steals.
• Hayes is also Merrimack's top offensive player averaging a career-best 19.0 points per game and currently riding a double-digit scoring streak of 10 games. Juniors Ryan Boulter and Jaleel Lord follow Hayes in double figures with 13.6 points and 11.1 points per game, respectively. The duo have hit 130 3-pointers combined, accounting for over 60 percent of Merrimack's production from deep
• Junior Idris Joyner increased his career-best block total to 42 after Saturday's game, increasing his career high in rejections. Joyner's making a push for the first 50-block campaign for a Warrior since the 2010-11 season The starting forward leads the team in rebounding, and is shooting over 63 percent from the field – good for the third best percentage in the NE10.

February Flashback:

• Earlier this season, Franklin Pierce became the only Northeast Division foe to date to beat Merrimack on campus, topping the Warriors by a 86-83 final
• The Warriors Saw Hayes go off for 28 points, leading four Merrimack players in double figures on the day. Merrimack struggled from 3-point range, making just 5-of-20 attempts
• Merrimack owns a 20-15 edge in the all-time series, and will look for its second straight win up in Rindge on Saturday

Scouting the Opposition

Merrimack (16-7, 11-5 NE10)	Stat Category	Franklin Pierce (12-11, 8-8 NE10)
75.2	Points Per Game	82.7
66.0	Points Allowed Per Game	79.6
.464	Field Goal Percentage	.440
.365	Three-Point FG Percentage	.360
32.5	Rebounds Per Game	37.3
Juvaris Hayes (19.0 ppg)	Points Leader	Doyin Fadojutimi (16.8 ppg)
Idris Joyner (6.9 rpg)	Rebounds Leader	Fadojutimi (5.6 rpg)
Hayes (6.3 apg)	Assists Leader	Sam van Oostrum (3.7 apg)
Hayes (4.0 spg)	Steals Leader	Fadojutimi (1.7 spg)
Joyner (1.8 bpg)	Blocks Leader	Fadojutimi (1.6 bpg)

 
Up Next:
Merrimack looks to win its second game this season against Southern New Hampshire, facing the Penmen on Saturday afternoon at a later-than-normal 4 p.m. tip-off in Manchester, N.H. The contest will be aired nationally on Fox College Sports.