Matchup	Merrimack (5-4, 2-4 NE10) vs Saint Michael's (2-6, 1-5 NE10)
Date/Time	Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 (1:00 p.m.)
Venue	North Andover, Mass. // Hammel Court
Multimedia	Live Stats // Watch // Twitter // Instagram

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Looking for its second straight Northeast-10 Conference win, the Merrimack College women's basketball program hosts Saint Michael's College at 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. It marks the program's penultimate NE10 contest of the calendar year, and last home league game until Saturday, Jan. 12, against Pace University.  

Five Things to Know:

• As a team, the Warriors are averaging 72.4 points per game, which is fourth-best in the conference, while shooting 40.3% from the floor. Merrimack has made the second most 3-pointers in the conference (71), which also ranks 14^th nationwide. Much of the 3-point success has been aided by senior captain Lindsey Werner and freshman Kate Mager who are tied for a team-leading 19 treys. Sophomores Mayson Kimball and Alyssa Casey have both added 13 triples on the season.
• On the other side of the floor, Merrimack is second in the country in blocked shots (54) and third in the country in blocked shots per game (6.0). Those efforts are supported by junior forward Denia Davis-Stewart, who leads the country in rejections (42) and ranks second in blocks per game (4.67). Defensively the Warriors force 10.2 turnovers per game, aided by senior Karlee Alves who ranks first in the country in total steals (37) and fourth in steals per game (4.11).
• Werner leads the offense with 17.0 points per game, placing her eighth in the league in scoring. Casey (14.3 ppg) and Kimball (11.8 ppg) join the captain by averaging in double figures.
• Alves continues to facilitate the offense with a team-best and Division II leading 77 assists (8.6 apg). She's posted at least five helpers in every game, including 13 in Wednesday night's win over Franklin Pierce, the third time she has reached double digit assist totals this season. As a team Merrimack averages 17.8 assists per game, the third-best average in the conference behind only Bentley (20.8) and Stonehill (18.6).
• Head coach Monique LeBlanc is nearing her 100^th career win at Merrimack, entering Saturday afternoon's contest with 94 wins after defeating the Ravens on Wednesday. She is aiming to become the third coach in program history to reach the century mark, joining Debbie Cogan (1986-1999) and Ann McInerney (1999-2005)

Series History:

• Saturday marks the 67^th all-time meeting in the series, with the Warriors owning a 35-31 advantage.
• Merrimack is looking for their 6^th win in the last three years against the Purple Knights; the Warriors have won five of the last six games overall
• Last season's matchups were particularly competitive games, with both teams winning each game by five points on their own courts.
• Casey proved to be the go-to scorer against the Purple Knights last season, scoring in double figures in both matchups, averaging 16 points per contest

Scouting the Opposition

Merrimack (5-4, 1-4 NE10)	Stat Category	Saint Michael's (2-6, 1-5 NE10)
72.4	Points Per Game	55.5
63.2	Points Allowed Per Game	67.3
.403	Field Goal Percentage	.389
.330	Three-Point FG Percentage	.341
42.1	Rebounds Per Game	36.1
Lindsay Werner (17.0 ppg)	Points Leader	Emily Ferreri (13.6)
Denia Davis-Stewart (8.6 rpg)	Rebounds Leader	Samantha Delaney (6.2)
Karlee Alves (8.6 apg)	Assists Leader	Brianna Purcell (4.9)
Alves (4.1 spg)	Steals Leader	Purcell (1.8)
Davis-Stewart (4.7 bpg)	Blocks Leader	Taylor Miller (2.3)

 
Up Next:
Merrimack will hit the road for another NE10 matchup with the undefeated Falcons of Bentley University on Tuesday, December 11^th. The game is scheduled for 6:00 tipoff at the Dana Center in Waltham, Mass.