Mar 13, 2009

Merrimack Battles with Lowell in NCAA Tournament

MERRIMACK COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL

NCAA Tournament vs. #3 Lowell, Saturday March 14, 2009, Pratt Recreation Center, 12 p.m.

Watch Live / Live Stats / Game Notes (.pdf) / Tournament Headquarters

MERRIMACK MEN’S BASKETBALL RETURNS TO NCAA TOURNAMENT FOR SECOND STRAIGHT SEASON

TODAY’S GAME: The Warriors kick off regional play against conference rival UMass Lowell Saturday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Northeast Regional. Merrimack has not played since March 2.

LIFETIME AGAINST LOWELL: Merrimack leads the all-time series with UMass Lowell 24-20 and has won three of the last four meetings. The teams have never faced each other in the NCAA tournament. Lowell head coach Greg Herenda played for and coached under Bert Hammel at MC.

THIS SEASON VS. LOWELL: The Warriors split the season-series with UMass Lowell.
November 22 @ Lowell: MC 85, UML 79: Roland Davis came off the bench to score 20 points leading the Warirors to the six-point win. Darren Duncan scored 18 and Chris Winters had 16. Rounding out Merrimack's double-figure scorers were Wayne Mack (11) and Dee Mency (10). The Warriors led by 17 (69-52) with 9:23 to play before the River Hawks stormed back with an 18-1 run to tie the game at 70 with 4:19 to play. Merrimack outscored UMass Lowell 8-3 in the final two minutes to earn the win.
February 7 @ MC: UML 77, MC 72: In a game that featured a combined 53 free throws and 51 fouls, Lowell built an 11-point halftime lead and hung on for the five-point victory. Mency finished with 23 points and nine boards, while Duncan tallied 18, 17 in the second half, but was just 4-of-13 from the field, 0-for-4 from three-point range, and 10-for-17 from the line. Mack was also in double figures with 10 points. The Warriors shot just 39% overall, 21.4% from behind the arc and just 58.8% from the line (20-for-34).

MERRIMACK IN THE NCAAS: This will be the seventh NCAA appearance, fifth under Coach Hammel and the second straight trip to the tournament. Merrimack is 5-6 in the NCAAs.
1976-77: The Warriors reached the NCAA regional final before losing to Sacred Heart 110-104. They defeated Bridgeport 107-83 in the first round.
1977-78: One of the best teams in school history, the Warriors were 23-6 and lost in the regional finals after beating Bryant 116-91.
1990-91: After losing to Bentley in the NE-10 Championship, Merrimack, which was 21-9 that season, reached the NCAA tournament, losing to Franklin Pierce 81-77 in Worcester. Merrimack then downed Assumption 89-71 in the consolation game.
1991-92: Merrimack’s first Northeast-10 Conference Championship propelled the Warriors to the NCAA tournament before losing to Bridgeport 91-84 but defeated Assumption 105-84 in the consolation game.
1999-00: Winning the NE-10 Conference Championship with a 84-78 victory over AIC, the Warriors defeated Saint Rose in the first round of the NCAA tournament 92-64 before losing to Adelphi 90-64 in the second round.
2007-08: Merrimack returned to the NCAA tournament as the eighth seed and lost to top-ranked and unbeaten Bentley 81-68 despite 25 from Duncan and leading by 12 at halftime.

DUNCAN FOR COUSY: Junior captain Darren Duncan is a finalist for the prestigious Bob Cousy Award given to the top collegiate male basketball point guard in the country. Duncan is one of 16 finalists, and one of two players from Division II, to be named as a finalist. Twelve of the 16 finalists are from Division I while two each are from Division II and III. Joining Duncan on the final ballot from Division II is Virgil Buensuceso of BYU Hawaii.

DUNCAN A FIRST-TEAM DAKTRONICS SELECTION: Darren Duncan was selected as a first-team all-region selection by Daktronics Wednesday.

WARRIORS PLACE THREE ON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS: Darren Duncan was a first-team all-conference selection, while Dee Mency (second team) and Wayne Mack (rookie team) also were all-conference honorees. Duncan was a first-team honoree last year and the NE-10 Freshman of the Year in 2006-07. Mency was the Freshman of the Year in 2007-08. Incredibly, the Warriors did not have a Northeast-10 Player or Freshman of the Week all season.

SCORING BY CLASS: Nearly 87% of Merrimack’s scoring will return next season as the class of 2009, David Kennedy and Chris Winters, averages 10.7 points per game. The four-member junior class has accounted for 35.6% of the scoring while the five-member freshman class averages 32.6% of the offense. Dee Mency is the lone sophomore.

FOR THE RECORD BOOKS: The Warriors set a school record with 16 conference wins, breaking the old mark of 14 set in the 1990-91 season.

20 WINS BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT: Their 20th win on February 24 vs. New Haven was the first time they achieved that plateau before the playoffs since the 1998-99 team accomplished the task.

HISTORIC START: Merrimack started 9-1 for the first time in school history. The Warriors never before won nine games before New Year’s.

HISTORIC WIN: The 39-point win over Franklin Pierce on Feb. 10 was Merrimack's largest margin of victory ever in a Northeast-10 game. The previous high mark was a 36-point (93-57) victory over Quinnipiac on November 30, 1998. Including non-league games, it was Merrimack's largest margin of victory since it posted a 40-point win (101-61) at Felician on December 21, 2004.

DUNCAN SETS SCHOOL FREE THROW RECORDS: Earlier this season, Darren Duncan overtook Paul Neal’s school-record season and career free throw marks. Duncan, who was 212-for-266 from the line this year, eclipsed Neal’s season record of 199-for-244 set in 1988-89. Duncan, who is 514-for-666 career from the line, broke Neal’s career marks of 507 made and 659 attempted against Assumption in the Northeast-10 quarterfinals. The Northeast-10 career free throw standards are 642 free throws made and 901 attempted, both held by Assumption's Drew Adderly.

DUNCAN REACHES 1,000: Junior captain Darren Duncan became the 35th member of Merrimack’s 1,000 point club on November 24 against Southern New Hampshire. He enters tonight’s game with 1444 career points, 13th on the Merrimack scoring list.

MENCY NEARS 1,000: Sophomore Dee Mency, last year’s Northeast-10 Freshman of the Year, is 25 points shy of scoring 1,000 career points and becoming the 36th member of the 1,000 point club at Merrimack. Mency ranks eighth in the conference with 16.5 points per game.

MORE DUNCAN: Duncan leads the Northeast-10 in per game average for scoring (19.2), assists (7.6), free throws attempted (266) and free throws made (212). He is tied for first in steals (2.2), second in assist-turnover ratio (2.0), third in free throw percentage (79.7%), and minutes played (35.4). Duncan is second in the nation in assists per game and 35th in scoring and steals.

ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL: Merrimack is second in the nation (in Division II) in turnover margin, at 6.6 (national leader - Mars Hill at 6.7).

EXCELLENT FRESHMEN TRIO: Merrimack’s trio of Wayne Mack (10.9 ppg), Roland Davis (10.9 ppg) and Aaron Strothers (3.7 ppg) are averaging 25.5 points per game, 31.6% of the Warriors’ total points this season.

BIG SCORERS: Merrimack averages 80.8 points per game, first in the Northeast-10 for the second straight year. The Warriors are second in the conference in free throw percentage (72.6%). Merrimack is 15-0 when it scores over 80 points this season.

NORTHEAST-10 CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP: Merrimack, seeded fourth in the Northeast-10 championship, lost to the eventual conference champion #5 Assumption 83-77 in the quarterfinals. The top four seeds, Bentley, Lowell, Stonehill and Merrimack, all lost in the quarters, marking the first time that the top four seeds went down in the quarters in the 29-year history of the NE-10 Tournament. Assumption defeated #9 Saint Anselm in the semis, while #6 Le Moyne downed #7 Southern N.H., before Assumption defeated Le Moyne in the finals to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

MERRIMACK HEAD COACH BERT HAMMEL: Now in his 29th year, Warriors’ head coach Bert Hammel is 427-398 all-time. He won his 400th game on January 22, 2008 with a win at St. Anselm. He has brought Merrimack to the NCAA tourney five times, including the last two season. Hammel is a 1973 graduate of Bentley College.

PRESEASON POLL: Merrimack was picked second in the Northeast-10 preseason poll behind two-time defending champion Bentley University.


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Merrimack has not played since March 2. LIFETIME AGAINST LOWELL: Merrimack leads the all-time series with UMass Lowell 24-20 and has won three of the last four meetings. The teams have never faced each other in the NCAA tournament. Lowell head coach Greg Herenda played for and coached under Bert Hammel at MC. THIS SEASON VS. LOWELL: The Warriors split the season-series with UMass Lowell. November 22 @ Lowell: MC 85, UML 79: Roland Davis came off the bench to score 20 points leading the Warirors to the six-point win. Darren Duncan scored 18 and Chris Winters had 16. Rounding out Merrimack's double-figure scorers were Wayne Mack (11) and Dee Mency (10). The Warriors led by 17 (69-52) with 9:23 to play before the River Hawks stormed back with an 18-1 run to tie the game at 70 with 4:19 to play. Merrimack outscored UMass Lowell 8-3 in the final two minutes to earn the win. February 7 @ MC: UML 77, MC 72: In a game that featured a combined 53 free throws and 51 fouls, Lowell built an 11-point halftime lead and hung on for the five-point victory. Mency finished with 23 points and nine boards, while Duncan tallied 18, 17 in the second half, but was just 4-of-13 from the field, 0-for-4 from three-point range, and 10-for-17 from the line. Mack was also in double figures with 10 points. The Warriors shot just 39% overall, 21.4% from behind the arc and just 58.8% from the line (20-for-34). MERRIMACK IN THE NCAAS: This will be the seventh NCAA appearance, fifth under Coach Hammel and the second straight trip to the tournament. Merrimack is 5-6 in the NCAAs. 1976-77: The Warriors reached the NCAA regional final before losing to Sacred Heart 110-104. They defeated Bridgeport 107-83 in the first round. 1977-78: One of the best teams in school history, the Warriors were 23-6 and lost in the regional finals after beating Bryant 116-91. 1990-91: After losing to Bentley in the NE-10 Championship, Merrimack, which was 21-9 that season, reached the NCAA tournament, losing to Franklin Pierce 81-77 in Worcester. Merrimack then downed Assumption 89-71 in the consolation game. 1991-92: Merrimack’s first Northeast-10 Conference Championship propelled the Warriors to the NCAA tournament before losing to Bridgeport 91-84 but defeated Assumption 105-84 in the consolation game. 1999-00: Winning the NE-10 Conference Championship with a 84-78 victory over AIC, the Warriors defeated Saint Rose in the first round of the NCAA tournament 92-64 before losing to Adelphi 90-64 in the second round. 2007-08: Merrimack returned to the NCAA tournament as the eighth seed and lost to top-ranked and unbeaten Bentley 81-68 despite 25 from Duncan and leading by 12 at halftime. DUNCAN FOR COUSY: Junior captain Darren Duncan is a finalist for the prestigious Bob Cousy Award given to the top collegiate male basketball point guard in the country. Duncan is one of 16 finalists, and one of two players from Division II, to be named as a finalist. Twelve of the 16 finalists are from Division I while two each are from Division II and III. Joining Duncan on the final ballot from Division II is Virgil Buensuceso of BYU Hawaii. DUNCAN A FIRST-TEAM DAKTRONICS SELECTION: Darren Duncan was selected as a first-team all-region selection by Daktronics Wednesday. WARRIORS PLACE THREE ON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS: Darren Duncan was a first-team all-conference selection, while Dee Mency (second team) and Wayne Mack (rookie team) also were all-conference honorees. Duncan was a first-team honoree last year and the NE-10 Freshman of the Year in 2006-07. Mency was the Freshman of the Year in 2007-08. Incredibly, the Warriors did not have a Northeast-10 Player or Freshman of the Week all season. SCORING BY CLASS: Nearly 87% of Merrimack’s scoring will return next season as the class of 2009, David Kennedy and Chris Winters, averages 10.7 points per game. The four-member junior class has accounted for 35.6% of the scoring while the five-member freshman class averages 32.6% of the offense. Dee Mency is the lone sophomore. FOR THE RECORD BOOKS: The Warriors set a school record with 16 conference wins, breaking the old mark of 14 set in the 1990-91 season. 20 WINS BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT: Their 20th win on February 24 vs. New Haven was the first time they achieved that plateau before the playoffs since the 1998-99 team accomplished the task. HISTORIC START: Merrimack started 9-1 for the first time in school history. The Warriors never before won nine games before New Year’s. HISTORIC WIN: The 39-point win over Franklin Pierce on Feb. 10 was Merrimack's largest margin of victory ever in a Northeast-10 game. The previous high mark was a 36-point (93-57) victory over Quinnipiac on November 30, 1998. Including non-league games, it was Merrimack's largest margin of victory since it posted a 40-point win (101-61) at Felician on December 21, 2004. DUNCAN SETS SCHOOL FREE THROW RECORDS: Earlier this season, Darren Duncan overtook Paul Neal’s school-record season and career free throw marks. Duncan, who was 212-for-266 from the line this year, eclipsed Neal’s season record of 199-for-244 set in 1988-89. Duncan, who is 514-for-666 career from the line, broke Neal’s career marks of 507 made and 659 attempted against Assumption in the Northeast-10 quarterfinals. The Northeast-10 career free throw standards are 642 free throws made and 901 attempted, both held by Assumption's Drew Adderly. DUNCAN REACHES 1,000: Junior captain Darren Duncan became the 35th member of Merrimack’s 1,000 point club on November 24 against Southern New Hampshire. He enters tonight’s game with 1444 career points, 13th on the Merrimack scoring list. MENCY NEARS 1,000: Sophomore Dee Mency, last year’s Northeast-10 Freshman of the Year, is 25 points shy of scoring 1,000 career points and becoming the 36th member of the 1,000 point club at Merrimack. Mency ranks eighth in the conference with 16.5 points per game. MORE DUNCAN: Duncan leads the Northeast-10 in per game average for scoring (19.2), assists (7.6), free throws attempted (266) and free throws made (212). He is tied for first in steals (2.2), second in assist-turnover ratio (2.0), third in free throw percentage (79.7%), and minutes played (35.4). Duncan is second in the nation in assists per game and 35th in scoring and steals. ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL: Merrimack is second in the nation (in Division II) in turnover margin, at 6.6 (national leader - Mars Hill at 6.7). EXCELLENT FRESHMEN TRIO: Merrimack’s trio of Wayne Mack (10.9 ppg), Roland Davis (10.9 ppg) and Aaron Strothers (3.7 ppg) are averaging 25.5 points per game, 31.6% of the Warriors’ total points this season. BIG SCORERS: Merrimack averages 80.8 points per game, first in the Northeast-10 for the second straight year. The Warriors are second in the conference in free throw percentage (72.6%). Merrimack is 15-0 when it scores over 80 points this season. NORTHEAST-10 CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP: Merrimack, seeded fourth in the Northeast-10 championship, lost to the eventual conference champion #5 Assumption 83-77 in the quarterfinals. The top four seeds, Bentley, Lowell, Stonehill and Merrimack, all lost in the quarters, marking the first time that the top four seeds went down in the quarters in the 29-year history of the NE-10 Tournament. Assumption defeated #9 Saint Anselm in the semis, while #6 Le Moyne downed #7 Southern N.H., before Assumption defeated Le Moyne in the finals to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. MERRIMACK HEAD COACH BERT HAMMEL: Now in his 29th year, Warriors’ head coach Bert Hammel is 427-398 all-time. He won his 400th game on January 22, 2008 with a win at St. Anselm. He has brought Merrimack to the NCAA tourney five times, including the last two season. Hammel is a 1973 graduate of Bentley College. PRESEASON POLL: Merrimack was picked second in the Northeast-10 preseason poll behind two-time defending champion Bentley University.