Women's Basketball Comeback Bid Denied by Southern New Hampshire
NORTH ANDOVER, MA - Despite trailing by as much as 20 in the
second half, the Merrimack women's basketball team rallied for a
second half lead but eventually fell by a score of 81-75 Wednesday
evening at Volpe Gym in the final regular season of the year.
Prior to tip-off, senior captain Casey Miller
(Fairbanks, AK) was honored in the last regular season
game of her career. Entering the postseason on Sunday, Miller
now ranks 7th all-time at Merrimack with 1,215 career
points after eight points on Wednesday. Miller is also one
three-pointer shy of the school record of 184.
In the game, sophomore Genn Roy (Granby,
MA) scored a game-high 26 points to follow up a
career-high 29 points last time out against Saint Michael's.
Despite falling behind 14-0 to start the evening, Merrimack
chiseled away at the lead to come to the score of 41-31 at the
break. While freshman Kelly Schatzlein
(Tolland, CT) opened up the scoring for the Warriors, it
was Roy and junior Tiffany Colon
(Lawrence, MA) leading the way offensively with 12 and 10
points, respectively.
For the Penmen, Jenny McDade scored 15 of her team-high 21
points, including 5-of-7 from the line, before the half.
Ashara Carrington also chipped in 14 points in as many minutes of
the first half.
In the second half, Merrimack gave up a 10-2 Penmen run, but a
21-2 run by the Warriors gave the home team a 63-62 lead at the
4:42 mark on a Miller layup.
Merrimack and Southern New Hampshire would trade four leads in
the second half, but 30 points in the paint for the Penmen was too
much for the Warriors. In the game, Merrimack was
outrebounded 37-34, but Schatzlein grabbed a game-high 11 to go
with nine points.
In the game, Merrimack shot 46% from the field, but 48% shooting
from the Penmen lifted the visitors to the win. The Warriors
were also edged on the foul line as Southern New Hampshire hit
23-of-26, while Merrimack his 17-of-22.
The Warriors begin their playoff campaign as the 12-seed on the
road Sunday, February 28 at the five-seed pending the outcome of
today's Northeast-10 Conference contests.
