Women's Basketball Falls at Lowell, 77-65
LOWELL, MA – Despite four Warriors in double figures, the
Merrimack women's basketball Warriors dropped a 77-65 contest
Saturday afternoon at UMass-Lowell.
Junior Sarah Benischek (Shrub Oak, NY) led all
scorers with 18 points as all seven Warriors who played entered the
scoring column.
With the loss, Merrimack drops to 9-15 (7-12 NE-10) on the year,
while Lowell improved to 15-8 (11-8 NE-10).
Contributing to an 8-0 lead to start the game and a 14-7 lead five
minutes in, Bensichek nailed 3-of-3 from deep to give the visitors
an early edge. Including a three from junior Tiffany Colon
(Lawrence, MA), 15 of the Warriors' first 19 points
came from long range (5-of-7).
The River Hawks would go on a 7-0 run to tie the score at 14, but a
jumper in transition from sophomore Genn Roy (Granby,
MA) and Benischek's fourth three that hit nothing
but net put Merrimack back on top by five.
UMass-Lowell took their first lead at 22-21 with 5:03 to play and
would not give it up, taking a 28-24 lead into the locker room.
After Merrimack hit their first five threes, the Warriors would go
cold from deep (0-of-9) in the latter half of the first stanza. The
Warriors also gave up eight second chance points and nine off 11
turnovers in the first half.
Trading leads early in the second half, the Warriors' Roy
scored eight of her ## points, including two three-pointers, to
keep the visitors afloat.
The River Hawks would pull away with a 13-0 run midway through
second half over a 4:31 stretch during which the Warriors went
0-of-6 from the field and committed four turnovers.
UMass-Lowell would push their lead to 21 with 2:11 remaining on one
of the River Hawks 19 made free throws in the game. On the
afternoon, Lowell shot 86% from the line (19-of-22) and Merrimack
shot 84% (16-of-19), but 22 turnovers and ending the game 2-of-23
from long range sent the Warriors home with the loss.
The Warriors return to action on Wednesday, February 17 at
undefeated #1 Franklin Pierce University for a 5:30pm tip-off
before the men. Franklin Pierce is led by two-time Northeast-10
Conference Player of the Year, Johannah Leedham, who was also named
the English National Player of the Year earlier this month.
