Merrimack (7-8, 2-0) vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (1-10, 1-0)
Rothman Center, Teaneck, New Jersey; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: NEC foes meet as Merrimack takes on Fairleigh Dickinson. Each team is coming off of a victory this past Friday. Fairleigh Dickinson earned a 70-62 road win over St. Francis (Pa.), while Merrimack won 82-77 at home against Long Island-Brooklyn.
BIG MEN ON CAMPUS: Fairleigh Dickinson’s Brandon Rush has averaged 14.6 points while John Square Jr. has put up 7.4 points and 4.7 rebounds. For the Warriors, Jordan Minor has averaged 14.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while Mikey Watkins has put up 9.2 points and 2.1 steals.BRILLIANT BRANDON: Rush has connected on 27.8 percent of the 54 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 7 of 29 over the last five games. He’s also converted 83.8 percent of his foul shots this season.
PERFECT WHEN: Merrimack is a perfect 5-0 when it scores at least 61 points. The Warriors are 2-8 when scoring any fewer than 61.
PASSING FOR POINTS: The Warriors have recently converted baskets via assists more often than the Knights. Fairleigh Dickinson has 30 assists on 66 field goals (45.5 percent) across its past three matchups while Merrimack has assists on 39 of 73 field goals (53.4 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The Merrimack defense has forced opponents into turnovers on an impressive 25.2 percent of all possessions, which ranks the Warriors 20th among Division I teams. The Fairleigh Dickinson offense has turned the ball over on 21.1 percent of its possessions (ranking the Knights 293rd, nationally).
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