WALDRON GRAIN & FUEL

02/18 03:43 CST Merrimack visits Sacred Heart after Melaschenko's 22-point outing Merrimack visits Sacred Heart after Melaschenko's 22-point outing By The Associated Press Merrimack Warriors (15-10, 12-4 MAAC) at Sacred Heart Pioneers (12-13, 10-6 MAAC) Fairfield, Connecticut; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Merrimack plays Sacred Heart after Lydia Melaschenko scored 22 points in Merrimack's 79-60 victory against the Siena Saints. The Pioneers are 7-5 on their home court. Sacred Heart is ninth in the MAAC with 11.6 assists per game led by Missy Nuku averaging 2.3. The Warriors are 12-4 in MAAC play. Merrimack is 5-8 against opponents with a winning record. Sacred Heart is shooting 39.0% from the field this season, 0.6 percentage points higher than the 38.4% Merrimack allows to opponents. Merrimack has shot at a 41.0% clip from the field this season, 0.2 percentage points higher than the 40.8% shooting opponents of Sacred Heart have averaged. The Pioneers and Warriors match up Thursday for the first time in conference play this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Amelia Wood averages 1.8 made 3-pointers per game for the Pioneers, scoring 14.2 points while shooting 31.4% from beyond the arc. Nalyce Dudley is averaging 12.6 points over the last 10 games. Melaschenko is averaging 12.5 points for the Warriors. Joi Williams is averaging 1.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Pioneers: 6-4, averaging 59.4 points, 31.1 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 7.3 steals and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting 39.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 60.4 points per game. Warriors: 7-3, averaging 69.7 points, 35.5 rebounds, 16.2 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 42.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 61.9 points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.