| Matchup |
Merrimack (17-9, 12-7 NE10) vs.
Bentley (18-8, 11-8 NE10) |
| Date/Time |
Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019 // 3 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 hosts Bentley University on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. from Hammel Court in a battle between the second-place Warriors and third-place Falcons. A victory will secure the Northeast Division's second seed in the upcoming Northeast-10 Conference Championship, and a home game in the NE10 Quarterfinals on Sunday, March 3.
The contest will be celebrated as Senior Day, with seniors
Ryan Boulter and
Troy McLaughlin honored during a special pregame ceremony. The duo have both played in over 100 career games entering Saturday, and have been part of back-to-back NCAA Tournament programs – a feat that had not been accomplished for the program in nearly 10 years.
Promotions:
- In addition to Senior Day, Saturday will be the Warriors' "Pack The Mack" game. The first 250 students in attendance will receive a free white t-shirt in an effort to white-out Hammel Court for Saturday's rivalry showdown with the Falcons
- One t-shirt will be distributed per Mack Card, and available while supplies last. The t-shirts are provided by Cedar's, a proud sponsor of Merrimack Athletics
Five Things to Know:
- The Warriors dropped a 65-62 contest to Stonehill in the final seconds of Wednesday night's tilt at Hammel Court. Junior Juvaris Hayes totaled 15 points in the loss while Boulter and senior Idris Joyner combined for 24 points and 15 rebounds
- Merrimack was ranked fourth in the first edition of the NCAA Division II East Region poll, unveiled by the selection committee on Wednesday. It marked the highest ranking for the program over the last three years. The top-eight teams in the poll qualify for the NCAA Tournament, with five at-large selections and three automatic-qualifiers from the NE10, East Coast Conference (ECC) and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC)
- Winners of seven of its last 10 and 12 of its last 16 overall, Merrimack has moved within a win of the program's second straight second-place finish in the Northeast Division. A victory on Saturday will garner a season split between the Warriors and Falcons, and lock in a home postseason contest for the Warriors next Sunday at Hammel Court.
- Hayes notched a game-high tying three steals on Sunday, increasing his national lead to 102 thefts on the year. He now has back-to-back 100-steal seasons, and 313 in his career to rank 17th all-time in Division II history. Hayes and Joyner – who leads the NE10 with 46 blocks – are part of a Merrimack defense that leads the division in scoring defense (66.6 points allowed) and paces the NE10 in both steals per game and turnovers forced per game
- Boulter (100 games played) and McLaughlin (104 games played) have been fixtures in Merrimack's rotation since the stepped on campus. The former will go down as one of the top shooters to grace Hammel Court, totaling 274 3-pointers and shooting better than 40 percent from three over his career. The latter has been a steady part of Merrimack's back court, consistently finishing among the NE10 leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio. McLaughlin's sophomore campaign featured a career year in terms of scoring and 3-pointers made. As a junior he set a career best in three-point percentage
February Flashback:
- It was a tale of two halves in the first meeting; Merrimack dominated the first 20 minutes, limiting the Falcons to 20 points and holding an eight-point lead. Bentley, however, rallied in the second half to claim a 65-59 win
- Hayes finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Joyner added a double-double of 14 points and 12 boards
- Bentley's Ryan Richmond led the way with 23 points, and has since eclipsed 2,000 career points. The Falcons started the season red hot, winning 14 of their first 15 games. Since then, however, Bentley has a 4-7 record
Scouting the Opposition
| Merrimack (17-9, 12-7 NE10) |
Stat Category |
Bentley (18-8, 11-8 NE10) |
| 74.3 |
Points Per Game |
80.9 |
| 66.6 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
73.0 |
| .461 |
Field Goal Percentage |
.477 |
| .354 |
Three-Point FG Percentage |
.393 |
| 31.9 |
Rebounds Per Game |
36.8 |
| Juvaris Hayes (18.7 ppg) |
Points Leader |
Ryan Richmond (24.1 ppg) |
| Idris Joyner (6.7 rpg) |
Rebounds Leader |
Chris Hudson (8.4 rpg) |
| Hayes (6.3 apg) |
Assists Leader |
Richmond (3.7 apg) |
| Hayes (3.9 spg) |
Steals Leader |
Richmond (1.2 spg) |
| Joyner (1.8 bpg) |
Blocks Leader |
Hudson (0.9 bpg) |
Up Next:
Merrimack wraps up the regular season on the road Tuesday night, when the Warriors visit Saint Michael's for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off in Colchester, Vt.
