| Matchup |
Merrimack (17-8, 12-6 NE10) vs.
Stonehill (13-12, 7-11 NE10) |
| Date/Time |
Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019 // 7:30 p.m. |
| Venue |
Hammel Court // North Andover, Mass. (Tickets) |
| Multimedia |
Live Stats // Watch // Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's basketball program will play its penultimate home game of the regular season on Wednesday evening when the Warriors host Stonehill College at 7:30 p.m. from Hammel Court. The contest will be celebrated as Academic Celebration Night, with Merrimack honoring its student-athletes who recorded a 3.0 grade-point-average or higher during the fall semester in a halftime ceremony.
In the Northeast Division standings, Merrimack can finish no lower than fourth in the division with three games remaining in the regular season. A Merrimack victory combined with a Bentley loss on Wednesday will clinch at least a second-place finish for the Warriors and a home game in the NE10 Quarterfinals on Sunday, March 3. The Warriors have an outside shot to win the division, but need to win their final three games and have division-leading Saint Anselm fall in its final three contests.
Five Things to Know:
- For the first time since 2014-15, Merrimack both won at Southern New Hampshire and won up in Manchester for the first time with a 63-60 triumph against the Penmen. The tide turned midway through the second half when the Warriors went on an 8-0 run to break a 42-42 deadlock, and never trailed the rest of the way. Junior Jaleel Lord talled 12 points and nine rebounds while classmate Juvaris Hayes posted 12 of his team-high 14 points in the second half
- Merrimack has now won eight of its last 10 games, the best record of any Northeast Division program during that stretch. During those eight wins, Merrimack has held its opponents under 70 points in each contest. The Warriors' scoring defense leads the Northeast at 67.6 points per game allowed, which is .1 points away from leading the entire Northeast-10 Conference
- Individually, Hayes has been a major part of the defense, totaling a nation-leading 99 steals. Classmate Idris Joyner has also been a factor, leading the NE10 with a career-high 46 blocks. When he reaches 50, Joyner will be the first Merrimack played in eight years to total a season with 50 rejections. As a team, Merrimack leads the conference in both steals per game (9.4) and turnovers forced (17.6)
- Hayes is also Merrimack's top offensive player averaging a career-best 18.8 points per game and currently riding a double-digit scoring streak of 12 games. Juniors Ryan Boulter and Lord follow Hayes in double figures with 13.8 points and 11.2 points per game, respectively. The duo have hit 141 3-pointers combined, accounting for over 60 percent of Merrimack's production from deep. Boulter has moved within two 3-pointers (78) of tying the NE10 lead for triples
- Stonehill snapped a six-game losing skid recently, and will arrive at Hammel Court with consecutive triumphs. The Skyhawks bested Franklin Pierce, 92-59, in their most recent game. Junior Will Moreton and sophomore Owen Chose combined for 68 points in the game. The former is the team's leading scorer, averaging 19.0 points per game on 45.2 percent shooting and 37 percent from deep
February Flashback:
- Merrimack dominated the first meeting in Easton, pulling out an 18-point win (88-71) back in November.
- Hayes registered one of his best efforts of the year with 30 points on 15-of-29 shooting and eight rebounds. Joyner notched a double-double of 15 points and 13 boards while sophomore Khalief Crawford chipped in 15 points on a team-best four 3-pointers
- Merrimack is 4-1 against Stonehill under head coach Joe Gallo and will have a chance for it second straight season sweep of the Skyhawks
Scouting the Opposition
| Merrimack (17-8, 12-6 NE10) |
Stat Category |
Stonehill (13-12, 7-11 NE10) |
| 74.8 |
Points Per Game |
74.3 |
| 66.7 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
73.6 |
| .464 |
Field Goal Percentage |
.456 |
| .361 |
Three-Point FG Percentage |
.387 |
| 31.9 |
Rebounds Per Game |
33.1 |
| Juvaris Hayes (18.8 ppg) |
Points Leader |
Will Moreton (19.0 ppg) |
| Idris Joyner (6.7 rpg) |
Rebounds Leader |
Moreton (8.4 rpg) |
| Hayes (6.4 apg) |
Assists Leader |
Moreton (2.6 apg) |
| Hayes (4.0 spg) |
Steals Leader |
Two Tied (1.0 spg) |
| Joyner (1.8 bpg) |
Blocks Leader |
Two Tied (1.0 bpg) |
Up Next:
Merrimack hosts Bentley on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. at Hammel Court. The contest will be both Merrimack's "Pack the Mack" game as well as Senior Day. Students in attendance will receive a white shirt in hopes to "white out" Hammel Court, while the program will honor Boulter and senior
Troy McLaughlin as part of the Senior Day ceremonies.
