| Matchup |
Merrimack (0-2, 0-2 NEC) vs. Wagner (3-2, 3-1 NEC) |
| Date/Time |
Friday, January 29, 2021 // 3 p.m.
Saturday, January 30, 2021 // 1 p.m. |
| Venue |
Hammel Court // North Andover, Mass. |
| Links |
Live Stats // Watch |
| Socials |
Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's basketball team plays its first home games of the season this Friday and Saturday when the Warriors welcome Wagner College to campus. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. from Hammel Court on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday. Merrimack opened the season last week at Fairleigh Dickinson, falling short in a pair of games against the Knights.
LAST TIME OUT
Merrimack's first action occurred last weekend in Hackensack, N.J. where the Warriors met the Knights for two games. In the opener, the Warriors held a one-point lead entering the fourth before an FDU rally, and in the finale, Merrimack owned a halftime advantage before the Knights recovered in the second half. The Warriors shot particularly well in Sunday's game, shooting 60 percent from the field in the first half. Merrimack hit 8-of-18 from beyond the arc while junior
Kate Mager and sophomore
Diamond Christian combined to make 66.7 percent of their triples (6-9) against FDU.
SERIES HISTORY
Merrimack and Wagner's first-ever game against each other occurred last season at Hammel Court. That contest was also the program's first-ever home game on the ESPN family of networks, airing on ESPN+. Merrimack dominated the meeting defensively, holding the Seahawks to 44 points and only 2-of-15 shooting from deep. Merrimack's current sophomore class enjoyed strong games against Wagner as rookies:
Jayme DeCesare scored 12 points,
Alana Fursman corralled seven rebounds and
Kaylee Thomas notched seven points in 23 minutes.
SCOUTING THE SEAHAWKS
Wagner has played five games this season, owning a 3-2 record (3-1 NEC). Two Seawhawks average in double figures this season in Emilij Krista Grava (13.4 ppg) and Kem Nwabudu (11.8 ppg). Nwabudu and Khaleah Edwards are tied for the team high with 25 rebounds apiece. As a team, Wagner is scoring 55.2 points per contest while allowing 60.2 points per game. On the perimeter, Wagner has hit just 14 3-pointers through five games, shooting 26.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Matchup Comparison
| Category |
Merrimack (0-2, 0-2 NEC) |
Wagner (3-2, 3-1 NEC) |
| Scoring Offense |
56.0 |
55.2 |
| Scoring Defense |
66.5 |
60.2 |
| Field-Goal % |
40.5% |
40.6% |
| Field-Goal % Defense |
43.1% |
38.5% |
| 3-PT Field Goal % |
35.5% |
26.4% |
| 3-PT Field Goal % Defense |
30.0% |
26.0% |
| 3-PT Field Goals (Made-Attempts) |
11-31 |
14-53 |
| Free-Throw Percentage |
52.4% |
60.9% |
| Winning Percentage |
0-2 (.000) |
3-2 (.600) |
| Rebounding Margin |
+0.5 |
-8.6 |
| Assists/Game |
12.0 |
11.0 |
| Steals/Game |
7.5 |
7.8 |
| Turnovers/Game |
17.0 |
20.2 |
| Blocks/Game |
2.0 |
1.8 |
| Total Fouls |
38 |
94 |
MILESTONES APPROACHING
Merrimack has a few individuals within striking distance of milestones as the 2020-21 season commences. Senior
Alyssa Casey boasts 856 points and 375 rebounds, respectively. She would become the 22nd 1,000-point scorer in school history. Senior
Mayson Kimball - who missed last season due to injury - returned to action over the weekend and is also nearing 1,000 points, sitting on 662. Mager is approaching Merrimack's 3-pointers made record, needing 43 more to set establish a new mark. She's
hit 147 triples over 61 games.
NEW FACES ON THE ROSTER
The Warriors' 2020-21 roster includes four freshmen as well as a transfer student-athlete who will become eligible for her first season at Merrimack. Freshmen guards
Nadeshka Bridgewater (Lawrence, Mass.),
Grace Clary (Whitehall, Pa.) and
Cassandra Hawthorne (Hartford, Conn.) are on the roster for the first time while first-year forward
Teneisia Brown is the newest edition to the Warriors' frontcourt. Bridgewater and Brown both made their Merrimack debuts off the bench over the weekend. The former averaged 11.5 minutes per game off the bench while the latter appeared in seven minutes per contest.
THE MORRONE CAPSULE
Kelly Morrone begins her tenure as the seventh head coach in the history of the Merrimack College women's basketball program. Morrone brings 117 career victories with her, spending the past seven seasons at DII John Carroll University in Ohio. Morrone brought that program to new heights, reaching its first three NCAA Tournaments over her seven-year stretch. She boasts plenty of DI experience too, playing at the University of South Carolina while coaching at William & Mary (2012-13), Rhode Island (2010-12), Davidson (2008-10) and Buffalo (2005-08).
THE PERCENTAGES DON'T LIE
When holding its opponents to below 40 percent shooting one season ago, the women's basketball program boasted an incredibly impressive 19-3 record. As part of Merrimack's six-game winning streak and 8-1 record over its final nine games (all in NEC) play, the Warriors limited their opponents to under 35 percent shooting in seven of the nine games (7-0 record in those games). On the other side of the ball, the Warriors went 13-2 in the 15 games when they shot better than 40 percent.
RECORD BOOK UPDATES
Merrimack's offense relied heavily on the 3-point jump shot last year, tying the 2018-19 Warriors for the single-season record with 254 makes from deep. Last year, Merrimack did set a team record for most attempts from beyond the arc (254). Eight Warriors made at least 10 triples last year, and six of those eight student-athletes return in 2020-21.
Up Next:
Merrimack meets FDU tomorrow to complete their two-game set. Tip-off from Rothman Center is set for 4 p.m.
