NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's basketball team hosts Central Connecticut State University for two games at Hammel Court this week. Both games will tip-off at 4 p.m. on campus, with Saturday's game airing on ESPN+. Sunday's contest will be available to watch on NEC Front Row and on the NEC On the Run App. The Warriors are coming off their first two wins of the season earlier this week vs. LIU.
LAST TIME OUT
Merrimack snapped its six-game losing streak with two wins over LIU on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday's game featured a fourth-quarter comeback as the Warriors recovered from a five-point deficit after 30 minutes to win. Seniors
Alyssa Casey and Mayson led the charge with 12 of the team's 20 points in the final quarter. Wednesday's win saw Merrimack explode for a season-high 83 points. The Warriors ended the game on an 8-1 run to break a 75-75 deadlock in the fourth.
Kate Mager headlined the effort with a season-high 26 points, five 3-pointers and an 11-of-11 effort at the free throw line.
SERIES HISTORY
The series between Merrimack and Central Connecticut began last season when the Warriors elevated to Division I. The Warriors own a 2-0 all-time series lead after a sweep one year ago. In two games last year against the Blue Devils, Mager averaged 18.0 points per game, shooting 11-of-21 from the field (.524) including eight 3-pointers. In the game played on campus last year, DeCesare joined Mager in double figures with 10 points. Merrimack won by nine points in the first meeting and 10 points in the second tilt.
SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
Central Connecticut has lost five of its last six games entering the weekend, including splitting a two-game set with Bryant earlier this week. Senior Ashley Forker ranks second on CCSU with 10.6 points per game, while sitting in fifth in the NEC with 3.3 assists per game and second in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.83). As a team, Central Connecticut is fifth in the NEC in scoring offense (62.0) and ninth in scoring defense (68.6).
Matchup Comparison
| Category |
Merrimack (2-6, 2-6 NEC) |
CCSU (3-7, 3-7 NEC) |
| Scoring Offense |
60.6 |
62.0 |
| Scoring Defense |
67.0 |
68.6 |
| Field-Goal % |
39.9% |
37.0% |
| Field-Goal % Defense |
40.6% |
40.5% |
| 3-PT Field Goal % |
31.8% |
29.5% |
| 3-PT Field Goal % Defense |
30.9% |
32.6% |
| 3-PT Field Goals (Made-Attempts) |
56-176 |
67-227 |
| Free-Throw Percentage |
62.0% |
72.2% |
| Winning Percentage |
2-6 (.250) |
3-7 (.300) |
| Rebounding Margin |
-0.8 |
-8.9 |
| Assists/Game |
12.5 |
12.7 |
| Steals/Game |
10.5 |
6.4 |
| Turnovers/Game |
19.0 |
17.3 |
| Blocks/Game |
1.8 |
6.6 |
| Scoring Offense |
60.6 |
62.0 |
MILESTONES APPROACHING
Merrimack has a few individuals within striking distance of milestones in 2020-21. Senior
Alyssa Casey boasts 916 points and 401 rebounds. She would become the 22nd 1,000-point scorer in school history. Senior
Mayson Kimball - who missed last season due to injury - has started in all eight games this season and is also nearing 1,000 points, sitting on 732. Junior
Kate Mager is approaching Merrimack's 3-pointers made record, needing 28 more to set establish a new mark. She's hit 164 triples over 65 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. Brown posted one of her strongest games of the season on Wednesday against the Sharks, scoring career highs of six points and five rebounds.
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).
AROUND THE NEC
Merrimack is among the NEC leaders in a few different areas. The Warriors rank first in the league in steals at 10.5/game, and have vaulted up to second in the conference in triples made per game (7.00). The Warriors are also third in 3-point percentage (.318). Defensively, the team has risen to fourth in field goal percentage defense (.406).
CHRISTIAN'S HOT START
Sophomore
Diamond Christian has been one of Merrimack's top overall players, enjoying a strong second-year leap. Christian is third on the team in points (82), first in assists (20), second in steals (12) and field goals made (32). She's made 52 percent of her shots (32-62) and 57 percent of her 3-point attempts (12-21), which both lead the team as well. She's scored in double figures four times through eight games, which already is more than the amount of double-figure scoring tilts (3) over 29 games as a rookie in 2019-20.
"MAJOR" MOMENTS FOR MAGER
Junior
Kate Mager's name is littered across the NEC leaders through eight games this season. The sharp-shooter is first in the league in 3-point percentage (.440) and tied for first in both 3-pointers made (22) and 3-point attempts per game (2.75). Mager has been critical for Merrimack this season, barely coming off the floor to the tune of a NEC-high 37.8 minutes per game. She's also the eighth-ranked scorer in the conference at 12.3 ppg. In her last game, Mager was perfect at the free throw line (11-for-11), tying for the most free throws hit in a game by a NEC player this season.
Up Next:
Merrimack faces Central Connecticut State University for two games this week at Hammel Court. Both Saturday's and Sunday's contests will tip-off at 4 p.m., while Saturday's game will air on ESPN+.
