Colon, Women's Basketball Grab First Win over Tiffin
NORTH ANDOVER, MA – The Merrimack women's basketball
Warriors (1-2, 0-1 NE-10) notched their first win of the year in
the Courtyard by Marriott Classic to Tiffin University, 59-56 on
Friday evening at the Volpe Gym.
The Warriors will play the University of Tampa on Saturday at
3:00pm in the Championship game after East Stroudsburg and Tiffin
square off at 1:00pm.
In the Warriors win, a pair of free throws from junior
Tiffany Colon (Lawrence, MA) at the 1:15 mark gave
the Warriors the lead for good in a game she grabbed 13 boards to
complement her career-high 17 points. Colon also went a
perfect 8-of-8 from the line (seven in the second half) to spark
the comeback.
Sophomore Genn Roy (Granby, MA) scored 19 to
lead all scorers, including 6-of-6 from the line. Junior
Sarah Benischek (Shrub Oak, NY) had a solid
overall game with nine points, seven boards, two steals and two
assists.
After shooting under 18% in the first half from the field, the
Warriors went on to connect on 54% of their second half shots
(15-of-28). An 11-2 run to start the game gave the Dragons an early
edge, but a 12-5 Warrior-run cut the lead to the half's
narrowest margin at the 7:38 mark. In the first half,
Tiffin's 63.6% shooting (7-for-11) from beyond the arc gave
the Dragons the first half edge, 30-19.
Merrimack out-scored the Dragons 40-26 in the second half and
gained their first lead (50-48) in the half at the 6:45 mark thanks
to a 15-2 run. Colon scored 14 of her points in the second half to
engineer the late game charge.
Head Coach Helen Williams spoke after the game
of the first win on the year.
"It's good to get that first win, but it's still just one win,"
Williams said. "It's unfortunate we dug ourselves a hole in
the first half, but I'm proud of how we scratched and clawed our
way back into the game."
Looking forward to Tampa, Williams said, "we'll definitely
have to shoot the ball well against [Tampa] because they play a
great 2-3 zone and they are a confident team. I think the win
tonight gave us some confidence, though, that we could come from
behind for a win."
In game one of the Courtyard by Marriott Classic, the University
of Tampa Spartans used a 44-26 rebounding advantage to knock off
the East Stroudsburg University Warriors, 66-49. Junior Taja Green
led all scorers with 15 points to go with six boards and four
steals. For East Stroudsburg, DeAnna Rayam scored 13 points and
grabbed four boards.
Merrimack resumes Conference play on Tuesday, November 24
against Stonehill in Easton, Massachusetts at 5:30pm.
Courtyard by Marriott Classic
Game 1: Tampa 66, East Stroudsburg 49
Game 2: Merrimack 59, Tiffin 56
Consolation Game: East Stroudsburg vs. Tiffin (1:00pm)
Championship Game: Merrimack vs. Tampa (3:00pm)
