Sacred Heart Pioneers (14-18, 10-11 MAAC) vs. Merrimack Warriors (21-10, 17-3 MAAC)
Atlantic City, New Jersey; Friday, 6 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Merrimack plays in the MAAC Tournament against Sacred Heart.
The Warriors are 17-3 against MAAC opponents and 4-7 in non-conference play. Merrimack is ninth in the MAAC scoring 69.3 points while shooting 42.1% from the field.
The Pioneers’ record in MAAC play is 10-11. Sacred Heart is eighth in the MAAC with 31.6 rebounds per game led by Anquan Hill averaging 6.1.
Merrimack scores 69.3 points per game, 7.5 fewer points than the 76.8 Sacred Heart gives up. Sacred Heart averages 10.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, 5.3 more made shots on average than the 5.5 per game Merrimack allows.
The teams meet for the third time this season. The Warriors won 75-58 in the last matchup on Feb. 1. Kevair Kennedy led the Warriors with 21 points, and Yann Farell led the Pioneers with 18 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: KC Ugwuakazi is averaging 5.6 points and 2.1 blocks for the Warriors. Ernest Shelton is averaging 2.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Hill is shooting 45.5% and averaging 17.5 points for the Pioneers. Nyle Ralph-Beyer is averaging 3.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Warriors: 9-1, averaging 74.1 points, 26.8 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 8.7 steals and 5.3 blocks per game while shooting 44.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 63.0 points per game.
Pioneers: 5-5, averaging 77.4 points, 32.5 rebounds, 14.1 assists, 4.1 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 43.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 77.6 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
