NE10 Semifinal Rematch Awaits Men’s Basketball at Le Moyne Wednesday

Matchup	Merrimack (20-9) at Le Moyne (18-8) NE10 Championship Semifinals
Date/Time	Wednesday, March 6, 2019 // 7:00 p.m.
Venue	Ted Grant Court // Syracuse, N.Y.
Multimedia	Live Stats // Watch // Twitter // Instagram

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – For the second consecutive season, the Merrimack College men's basketball will look to invade Syracuse, N.Y. for a Northeast-10 Conference Semifinal victory when the second-seeded Warriors face the top-seeded Southwest Division champion Le Moyne College Dolphins on Wednesday night. Tip-off from Ted Grant Court is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Wednesday marks the program's 11^th trip to the NE10 Semifinals in school history, and the Warriors hold a 3-7 all-time record in the upcoming round. With a win, the program will reach its first NE10 Championship game in 19 years and have a chance to win its first conference championship since the 1999-00 season. The Warriors will also play in their third playoff game against Le Moyne in the last three years (1-1), and sixth playoff game at Ted Grant Court since the 2016-17 season.
 
2019 NE10 Championship Schedule
First Round ­ Friday, March 1^st:
Game 1:  Pace (No. 5 seed SW) 74, Franklin Pierce (No. 4 seed NE) 61
Game 2:  Southern Connecticut (No. 4 seed SW) 80, Stonehill (No. 5 seed NE) 75 

Quarterfinals ­ Sunday, March 3^rd:
Game 3:  Le Moyne (No. 1 seed SW) 86, Pace (No. 5 seed SW) 66
Game 4:  Southern Connecticut (No. 4 seed SW) 97, Saint Anselm (No. 1 seed NE) 87
Game 5:  New Haven (No. 2 seed SW) 70, Bentley (No. 3 seed NE) 69 
Game 6:  Merrimack (No. 2 seed NE) 83, Adelphi (No. 3 seed SW) 81 

Semifinals ­ Wednesday, March 6^th (at highest seeds remaining):
Game 7: Merrimack (No. 2 seed NE) vs. Le Moyne (No. 1 seed SW) (7:00 PM)
Game 8: New Haven (No. 2 seed SW) vs. Southern Connecticut (No. 4 seed SW) (7:00 PM)
 
Championship ­ Saturday, March 9^th (at highest seed remaining):
Game 9:  Game 8 winner vs. Game 7 winner (1:00 PM)

Five Things to Know:

• Junior Juvaris Hayes willed the Warriors to victory on Sunday in the NE10 Quarterfinals, dropping a career-high 46 points on 19-of-30 shooting as part of a comeback victory for the Warriors, 83-81, over Adelphi. Merrimack trailed by as many as 15 points in the opening half before a 16-2 run over the final four minutes trimmed the gap to one at intermission. Even with that run, Merrimack did not take a lead until less than three minutes remaining in the game. Hayes' 19^th and final bucket with 69 seconds left gave the hosts the edge for good, 82-81
• For his efforts, Hayes was named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Divisoin II Player of the Week after averaging 30.0 points, 8.5 assists, 7.5 rebounds and 5.0 steals per game. Those numbers also included Hayes' 14-point 13-assist double-double in the regular season finale at Saint Michael's
• The awards did not stop there for the floor general: Hayes was named the NE10 Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the all-league first team when the NE10 announced its all-conference awards on Tuesday. Senior Ryan Boulter also received recognition on the all-conference third team, his second career all-conference nod. Hayes lead the NE10 in steals by a wide margin; his nation-leading 119 thefts are more than double (48) the next closest NE10 player. He also leads the league in field goals made (220) and is among the top five in the country in total assists and assists per game. Boulter's prowess is beyond the arc: the 3-point threat is the league leader in triples (91), and has scored at least 19 points 11 times this season (Merrimack is 9-2 in those games)
• Tomorrow's matchup pits the two best NE10 teams against each other over the last 10 contests. The Warriors have won eight of their last 10, and are the lone Northeast Division program left in the tournament; Le Moyne has won nine of its last 10 overall. Both teams are ranked in the top five in the most recent NCAA Division II East Region poll with the Dolphins at No. 4 and the Warriors at No. 5
• The Dolphins rallied in the final seconds of their regular season finale at New Haven, winning by one to claim the Southwest Division title. The reigning NE10 and East Region champs dispatched Pace by double figures in the quarterfinal round. Le Moyne is led by all-conference second-team Kobi Nwandu as well as a pair of honorable mention selections in Tom Brown and CJ Asuncion-Byrd

Regular Season Rewind:

• Merrimack pulled away in the first meeting of the year at Hammel Court, turning a four-point halftime lead into a 14-point triumph (76-62)
• Boulter dominated, scoring a game-high 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting and six 3-pointers. Hayes registered 14 points, eight assists, seven steals and five rebounds while juniors Jaleel Lord and Idris Joyner each totaled 13 points
• Nwandu led the visitors with 17 off the bench while Asuncion-Byrd totaled 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting

Scouting the Opposition

Merrimack (20-9)	Stat Category	Le Moyne (18-8)
75.3	Points Per Game	70.9
66.9	Points Allowed Per Game	65.6
.463	Field Goal Percentage	.450
.356	Three-Point FG Percentage	.343
32.0	Rebounds Per Game	32.0
Juvaris Hayes (19.4 ppg)	Points Leader	Kobi Nwandu (17.0 ppg)
Hayes (6.6 rpg)	Rebounds Leader	Tom Brown (8.6 rpg)
Hayes (6.5 apg)	Assists Leader	Brown (2.5 apg)
Hayes (4.1 spg)	Steals Leader	Ryan Roland (1.1 spg)
Joyner (1.8 bpg)	Blocks Leader	Brown (0.6 bpg)

 
Up Next:
If the Warriors win, Merrimack will either travel to second-seeded New Haven or host fourth-seeded Southern Connecticut in the NE10 Final on Saturday afternoon. If Merrimack reaches the championship game, it will be its first appearance in the title bout since the 1999-00 season, and fourth time playing in the NE10 Final in school history.