Matchup	Southern Connecticut (11-3, 5-1 NE10) at Merrimack (7-5, 3-4 NE10)
Date/Time	Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018 (5:30 p.m.)
Venue	Hammel Court // North Andover, Mass. (Tickets)
Multimedia	Live Stats // Video // Twitter // Instagram

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's basketball program plays its first of seven games this month against the Southwest Division when the Warriors host the division-leading Southern Connecticut State University Owls on Wednesday evening at 5:30 p.m. from Hammel Court.    

Last Time Out:

• Behind a career-high tying 32-point effort from junior guard Lindsay Werner (Groton, Mass.), the Warriors closed the book on 2017 with an 83-70 non-conference win at Saint Rose
• Werner shot a career-best 11-of-23 from the field, scoring a team-high five three-pointers while hitting all five of her free-throw attempts. The starting shooting guard has now led Merrimack in scoring in eight of 12 games and has scored at least 20 points eight times
• Freshman Alyssa Casey (Andover, Mass.) scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half, coming on strong to hit 4-of-8 three-point attempts over the final 20 minutes
• Starting in her second straight game and making just her third appearance overall, sophomore Denia Davis-Stewart (Dorchester, Mass.) recorded her first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. She added a game-high seven blocks, the second most single-game total by a NE10 player this season

'Mack Facts:

• With 11 more assists on Saturday, junior point guard Karlee Alves (Ellington, Conn.) increased her team and NE10 lead to 86 total helpers for an average of 7.2 assists per game. She ranks fourth nationally in assists per game
• With her fifth NE10 Rookie of the Week selection on Tuesday, Casey moved within one of tying last season's high of six awards earned by Le Moyne's McKayla Roberts
• Davis-Stewart now has 15 total blocks in three games, already taking over the team lead in rejections. The second-year center's 5.0 blocks per game average would lead the nation if she qualified
• Werner ranks 30^th nationally in scoring average. As a team, the Warriors are currently averaging 66.8 points per game, which is the third-highest output in the NE10

The Owls

• Southern Connecticut has won 11 of 14 games to start the season, and suffered just one loss through its first run through of the Southwest Division
• The Owls have an 11-3 record despite losing their first two games of the season. Southern has won five in a row entering Wednesday, including a 62-57 win over Division I Rhode Island over the weekend
• Three Owls are currently averaging in double figures, led by 11.3 points per game for Abby Hurlbert. Kiana Steinauer is averaging a double-double with 10.9 points per contest and a conference-leading 11.0 rebounds per game.
• The Owls boast the Southwest's top-ranked scoring defense, allowing a division-low 57.3 points per contest

The Series:

• Through 23 all-time meetings, Southern Connecticut owns a 14-9 edge over Merrimack
• Merrimack went on the road last season and knocked off the Owls, 65-60
• The Warriors led from start to finish last season, holding a lead as large as 16 points in the second half

Up Next
The Warriors play their first of four road games out of the next five on Saturday when Merrimack heads to New York to take on Pace at 1:30 p.m.