Women's Basketball Upends St. Anselm, 82-58, for First NE-10 Win of Season
Links: Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's basketball team led by 11 at halftime and increased their advantage to 24 by the end of the game, defeating the Saint Anselm Hawks, 82-58, for the team's first Northeast-10 victory of the season on Tuesday night.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 82 | St. Anselm 58
Records: Merrimack (3-2, 1-2 NE-10) | St. Anselm (3-2, 1-2 NE-10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
What They Said
Head coach Monique LeBlanc: "I was proud of the defensive intensity our team played with tonight. We focused very well on our game goals and they had a direct effect on the outcome. It was a great team win.
How It Happened
The Warriors were searching for their first NE-10 win of the season of dropping their first two conference contests by a combined seven points.
The start of the game was close, as over the first 13 minutes of the game, neither team posted a lead larger than six points.
After Saint Anselm knocked down a three-point jumper to make it 24-23 in favor of Merrimack, the Warriors went on an 8-0 run to extend their lead to 32-24, highlighted by four points from sophomore Caitlyn Garger (Hicksville, N.Y.). Garger scored seven of her team-leading nine first-half points over the final five minutes of the half. Merrimack entered the intermission with an 11-point lead at 42-31.
In the second half the Warriors continued to excel in all facets of the game. Merrimack shot 47 percent as a team (16-for-34), while limiting the Hawks to just 25 percent shooting over the final 20 minutes.
The Navy and Gold began the second half on a 12-4 spurt to increase its hold on the game to 19 points. Senior Aria Johnson (Los Osos, Calif.) netted the first five points of the half for Merrimack. Just 4:15 into the half, the Warriors were up 54-45.
St. Anselm would cut into the Merrimack's lead of the next nine minutes of the game, getting as close as 11 points with 6:33 left in the game. Junior guard Ashley Weissmann (Highland, Calif.) ended any hope of a Hawks' comeback with a three-pointer with 6:29 to go in the contest. Merrimack would extend its lead back to 17 points with a quick 6-0 run.
Over a stretch of 1:02 late in the second half, Johnson scored seven unanswered points to cement the Warriors hold on the game. After her personal run, Merrimack led 77-55 and finished the game with a 82-58 victory.
Inside The Numbers
- Senior Chloe Rothman (Newton, Mass.) was honored before the game for becoming the 19th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. She played in 33 minutes, totaling a team-high 16 points while make three of her six three-point attempts
- Johnson tied Rothman with 16 points, while once again coming within one rebound of a double-double. For the third time in her last four games, Johnson has come within one board of a double-double
- It was a balanced attack for the Navy and Gold, as four players finished in double figures. Garger and Weissman each registered 11 points, joining Johnson and Rothman in double-digits
- The Warriors limited the Hawks to just 31 percent shooting from the field, including just six-of-31 from three-point range
Up Next
Merrimack returns home on Saturday to take on LIU Post at 1 p.m. Single-game tickets will be available for purchase online at this link, or by calling the Merrimack Athletics Box Office at 978-837-5324. Adult tickets cost $5, while youth/senior tickets cost $3. All tickets are general admission seating.
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For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.
