Women's Basketball Rallies for Overtime Victory, 93-89, vs. Bentley Wednesday Night
Links: Box Score
WALTHAM, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's basketball team erased a 10-point deficit with 66 seconds remaining in regulation against Bentley University, eventually defeating the Falcons in overtime, 93-89, on Wednesday night. The win marks the Navy and Gold's first victory away from home this year.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 93 | Bentley 89
Records: Merrimack (4-3, 2-2 NE-10) | Bentley (4-3, 1-3 NE-10)
Location: Dana Center | Waltham, Mass.
What They Said
Head coach Monique LeBlanc: "We struggled to consistently get stops in the second half, but it was great to see the team play with poise and execute down the stretch to force overtime. Overall it was a great team effort."
How It Happened
Merrimack battled a Bentley team that was the last squad standing in Division II last year, ending the season 35-0 and as the national champions. The Falcons began the season ranked as the No. 1 in the country.
It was a wild, back-and-forth finish, as both teams could have won the game at the end of regulation. The Falcons appeared to have a stronghold on the game with just over a minute remaining. After freshman Trevena Bennett hit two free throws, Bentley led by double digits at 79-69. The Warriors, however, would not give in.
The Navy and Gold drained three consecutive three-pointers to make it a one-point contest. Senior guard Allison Wagner (Center Conway, N.H.) knocked one down with 50 seconds left to cut the deficit to single digits. On the next Bentley possession, guard Tia Scott (New York, N.Y.) stole the ball, allowing Chloe Rothman (Newton, Mass.) to drain one from long range, cutting the score to 79-75 with less than 30 seconds to play. Off the inbounds pass, Stormee Van Belle (Sunnyside, Wash.) forced a Falcons turnover, Wagner hit the ensuing three-pointer and what was a 10-point Falcons lead was down to 79-78 with less than 30 seconds remaining.
Bennett was sent to the line with 18 seconds left, only making 1-of-2 from the charity stripe, allowing Merrimack an opportunity to take the lead. Wagner stepped up, hitting her third three in less than 60 seconds to give the Warriors their first lead since the score read 41-40, less than one minute into the second half.
It would be short-lived as Merrimack sent Jen Gemma to line with eight seconds left, but she only hit one of her two free throws, tying the game at 81-81. The Warriors had a chance to win the game with 0.8 seconds left, but Scott missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity, sending the contest to overtime.
While the game was tied four times in the extra session, Merrimack never let Bentley take the lead. Senior Aria Johnson (Los Osos, Calif.) and Van Belle hit back-to-back buckets to give the Warriors a four-point lead at 89-85. Bentley would score four unanswered to tie the contest, but Merrimack hit four-of-six free throws down the stretch, and limited Bentley to two-for-six from the field over the final three minutes to capture a 93-89 victory.
The Warriors took a 38-37 lead into the second half, but Bentley quickly pulled ahead. The Falcons went on a 13-5 run over the first 4:53 of the second stanza, snatching a 50-45 advantage from the Warriors.
A three-pointer from Gemma at the 9:21 mark gave the Falcons a 10-point lead, 61-51. The team's would exchange buckets over the next seven minutes, with the Warriors never getting closer than six points. With 2:34 left in the game, Bennett converted on an old-fashioned three-point play to build Bentley's largest lead of the half at 74-62.
The game did not begin well for the Warriors, as the Falcons got off to an 8-0 lead less than two minutes in. After calling a timeout, the Warriors would score 14 of the next 17 points in the game to grab their first advantage of the game at 14-11. Five different Warriors scored over that run.
Bentley answered by scoring 10 of the next 12 points to take a 21-16 advantage. The Falcons held the lead from the majority of the half from that point on, but the lead never was more than seven points.
With the score at 37-32 and 2:54 left in the third stanza, the Warriors sent the Falcons on a scoring drought of nearly three minutes. The Navy and Gold scored the final six points of the half to take a 38-37 lead into halftime.
Inside The Numbers
- Wagner set a new career high in scoring with 19 points on seven-of-10 shooting, including five-for-eight from beyond the arc. 13 of her 19 points came in the second half
- Rothman poured in a team-high 24 points and equaled her season-high with nine assists. Rothman hit seven-of-18 attempts from the field, and connected on all six of her free-throw attempts
- Johnson and Van Belle gave Merrimack effective minutes in the frontcourt. The senior and freshman combined for 23 points and 15 rebounds
- The Warriors defense caused the Falcons to commit 21 turnovers, including nine steals for Merrimack
- The Navy and Gold quadrupled the Falcons in bench production, 36-9, getting a combined 28 points from Wagner and Van Belle
- The victory marks the first for the Warriors against Bentley since the 2008-09 season, as well as the first under the tenure of LeBlanc. It's Merrimack's 13th win against the Falcons over 71 all-time meetings
Up Next
The Warriors hit the road again as they'll travel to Assumption to face the Greyhounds on Saturday at 1 p.m.
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