| Matchup |
Merrimack (6-6) vs. Boston University (5-7) |
| Date/Time |
Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019 // 6 p.m. EST |
| Venue |
North Andover, Mass. // Hammel Court |
| Multimedia |
Watch // Live Stats |
| Social |
Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's basketball program hosts in-state rival Boston University for its non-conference finale on Sunday evening at Hammel Court. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. on campus and will begin following the women's basketball game against Vermont. The contest will air on NEC Front Row and can also be streamed via the NEC On The Run app.
GET YOUR TICKETS HERE
- A general admission ticket for Sunday's game costs $7
- All faculty/staff, military, senior and youth tickets cost $5
- Seating at Hammel Court is all general admission
- Tickets can be purchased in person or online here
SCOUTING THE TERRIERS
Boston University boasts a 5-7 record going into its non-conference finale. The Terriers have bounced back from a five-game losing streak with back-to-back wins over Dartmouth and UMass Lowell, two common opponents with Merrimack. BU also owns a prominent road win over South Carolina from earlier this season. Two Terriers average in double figures led by 15.2 points per game from Max Mahoney. Mahoney does all his damage from the paint, shooting a team-best 59.2 percent from the field (74-125).
HISTORY AGAINST BU
Merrimack and Boston University will meet for the seventh time on Sunday, but for the first time since the 1984-85 season. The Terriers own a 6-0 edge in the all-time series, which will see the first Division I tilt between the programs commence this weekend. The last contest occurred in November of the 1984-85 season, which featured a BU victory (94-71). The closest games in the series came in 1981 (72-68) and 1969 (94-91). This will be the second time that Merrimack has played BU on campus and first in 50 years.
Matchup Comparison:
| Category |
Merrimack (6-6) |
Boston U. (5-7) |
| Scoring Offense |
62.0 |
69.4 |
| Scoring Defense |
61.9 |
70.5 |
| Field-Goal % |
40.0% |
44.1% |
| Field-Goal % Defense |
43.4% |
44.1% |
| 3-PT Field Goal % |
29.3% |
30.1% |
| 3-PT Field Goal % Defense |
30.1% |
30.7% |
| 3-PT Field Goal Attempts |
321 |
256 |
| Free-Throw Percentage |
70.7% |
65.6% |
| Winning Percentage |
.500 |
.417 |
| Rebounding Margin |
-9.7 |
-0.6 |
| Assists/Game |
12.3 |
11.7 |
| Steals/Game |
10.3 |
5.6 |
| Turnovers/Game |
11.5 |
12.3 |
| Blocks/Game |
2.8 |
1.9 |
| Total Fouls |
206 |
188 |
ROAD WARRIORS
Sunday's second home game of the year against a D1 foe comes after a historic event earlier this month. On Dec. 11, Merrimack topped Army in the program's first home game against a Division I opponent - playing a DI foe so late into the year that only two only programs nationwide have their home opener later in the year than the Warriors. Merrimack owns three true road victories as well this year, and joined Vermont and William and Mary as the first three programs this season to accumulate three wins in true road games. Additionally, the Northeast Conference boasts four teams with at least three road wins (Merrimack, Bryant, Sacred Heart & Saint Francis), on of only three conferences nationwide (Southern, Sun Belt) to boast that distinction.
800 CAREER ASSISTS ... AND COUNTING
Senior point guard
Juvaris Hayes recorded his 800th career assist at Hartford, becoming the third player in Merrimack history to do so. He currently rests on 820 for his career, needing six more assists to set a new program record (826), currently owned by Darren Duncan '10. His 7.7 career assists per game average is up there in program history as well. Peter Dufour leads all former Warriors with a career assists average of 9.0 per contest
LOCK IT DOWN
Merrimack's defense is among the best in the NEC in the early parts of the season. The Warriors are currently allowing a league-best 61.9 points per game - nearly five points fewer than any other team in the conference. The Warriors' .434 field-goal percentage defense ranks fourth in the conference while Merrimack's 3-point field-goal defense (.301) sits atop the league rankings, as well. More league-leading stats include steals and turnover margin, where Merrimack's 10.33 thefts per game and +6.00 turnover margin are the best in the league. If Merrimack qualified, the Warriors would rank eighth nationally in steals and ninth in turnover margin. Individually,
Juvaris Hayes and
Mikey Watkins would both rank among the top 30 nationwide in steals per game, as well.
FROM DEEP!
Merrimack ranks fourth in the NEC in 3-pointers made (94), and are among the top five in makes per contest (7.83). Junior
Devin Jensen has been prolific from distance, rankings seventh in the conference in percentage (.390) and in a tie for fifth in makes with 23.
Up Next:
Merrimack begins conference play on Thursday when the Warriors visit Sacred Heart University for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off at the Pitt Center in Fairfield, Conn.
