Men's Hoops Looks to End Drought vs. Bentley on Coaches vs. Cancer Night
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NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – In a battle of two teams tied in the league standings, the Merrimack men's basketball team hosts archrival Bentley in a key Northeast-10 Conference showdown on Wednesday night at Hammel Court.
After dropping a tough decision at first-place Assumption on Saturday, Merrimack will desperately be searching for a league win with seven contests to go. The Warriors sit two games back of a playoff spot in the same spot as Bentley.
The Warriors and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) have teamed up to co-sponsor Coaches vs. Cancer Night on Wednesday.
Admission to the contest is free with a suggested donation of $5 for adults, $3 for youth and $1 for students. The first 100 fans will receive an Orange MC Basketball T-Shirt and CvC wristband, respectively. All proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society. Placards are also available for fans to write the name of a person in their lives that has been affected by cancer to hang on the wall near the entrance of Hammel Court.
Bentley owns a commanding 53-31 record against the Warriors in the all-time series, as the two teams will battle for the 85th time on Wednesday.
The Merrimack-Bentley rivalry is the fourth-oldest series in the history of the program. The only teams that Merrimack has played more games against are (in ascending order): Assumption (94); Saint Anselm (102); and Stonehill (106).
At one point, Merrimack only trailed in the all-time series, 35-31, but since 2005-06, the Falcons have owned the Warriors, winning the last 18 meetings over the past seven years. The last time Merrimack defeated Bentley was at home on Dec. 7, 2005, an 89-76 win for the Warriors.
Assumption proved too much for visiting Merrimack in its last game, as the Warriors fell, 70-50, in a league battle on Saturday afternoon at Laska Gym.
Receiving votes in the most recent national rankings, the Greyhounds started the game shooting hot and never looked back, and the home side's dominance inside the paint was a factor throughout much of the afternoon's tilt.
Meanwhile, the Warriors saw just one player finish double figures, as freshman Gelvis Solano led the visitors with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-5 from downtown. Merrimack, however, was dominated on the glass, as Assumption out-rebounded the Warriors by a 40-30 margin.
Merrimack registered just an 18-of-52 (34.6) clip from the floor and went just 5-for-13 (38.5) from beyond the arc. Finally, the Navy and Gold converted 9-of-17 (52.9) from the stripe and committed 21 giveaways in total. Junior Kevin Regan finished the contest with a team-high eight boards, as well.
Picked to finish fifth in the NE-10 Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Falcons have struggled over the last two weeks and enter Wednesday night's meeting in the midst of a five-game losing streak.
Unfortunately for Bentley, the three most recent contests of that five-game losing streak have been decided by a combined five points. That includes a two-point setback on Saturday at Southern Connecticut (83-81), as well as a one-point heartbreaker (70-69) at home against Le Moyne last Tuesday.
Bentley and Merrimack share identical 5-10 conference records and both occupy 13th place in the league standings. The Falcons, however, won the earlier meeting this year in Waltham, Mass., 62-56 on Nov. 20.
Three players average double-digits in scoring for the Falcons, with freshman Tyler McFarland and junior Jasper Grassa both tied at 13.9 ppg. McFarland and Grassa have started all 19 contests, while the former leads the team in rebounding (7.9) and blocks (26). Grassa, meanwhile, leads the team at the free throw line (80.9), while his 52 3-pointers are the most on the squad.
Also averaging double figures for the Falcons is JP Koury (10.8). The sophomore has shot a respectable 45.3 percent overall and 35.8 percent from downtown, while his 32 steals rank first for Bentley, as well.
As a team, Bentley averages 65.5 ppg (12th in NE-10), while opponents have averaged 67.2 (10th). The Falcons' best asset has been their free throw shooting (73.5), a mark that ranks third in the conference. Bentley also ranks fifth in rebounding (36.6), while its field goal defense (41.9) and 3-point defense (34.1) rank eighth and ninth, respectively.
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