Five-Game Winning Streak Snapped for Women's Basketball, 65-61, vs. SNHU
Links: Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – An attempt at a second-half comeback was not enough for the Merrimack College women's basketball team as poor shooting in the first half dealt an eventual blow to the Warriors, 65-61, at the hands of Southern New Hampshire on Saturday afternoon. The loss snaps Merrimack's five-game winning streak and is the Warriors first loss since mid-Novemeber.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 61 | SNHU 65
Records: Merrimack (8-4, 4-3 NE-10) | SNHU (7-6, 3-5 NE-10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
How It Happened
Merrimack took the court for the first time in two weeks and for the first time in 2015, and the Warriors appeared to have some rust in the early going of their conference matchup with the Penmen.
Neither team started off particularly well, as the score read 13-11 at the midway point of the first stanza after a layup from senior Aria Johnson (Los Osos, Calif.).
Over the next three minutes, the Warriors would go cold from the field, allowing the Penmen to go on an 8-1 run. SNHU led 21-12 after a Catherine Stinson jumper with seven minutes to go in the first half.
From that point on the Warriors would get no closer than six points over the remainder of the first half. The Penmen led by 11 points, 31-20, as the Warriors struggled shooting from the field, connecting on only seven-of-25 attempts (28 percent).
Merrimack would eventually embark on the comeback trail in the second half, but Southern N.H. took the play to the Warriors over the first 3:10 of the second stanza. Another jumper from Stinson, who finished with 14 points, gave the Penmen their largest lead of the game at 41-26.
At that point, the Warriors turned it on. Over a span of nearly four minutes with less than 16 minutes remaining, Merrimack went on a 10-2 run to cut the 15-point deficit to a seven-point game at 45-38 with 12:51 to go in the contest.
Over the next four minutes the lead for the visitors hovered around seven points, but with the score at 52-45, the Warrior scored six straight highlighted by a Caitlyn Garger (Hicksville, N.Y.) jumper to make it a one-point contest.
That was as close as the Warriors would get though. The next three minutes went by and the Penmen stretched their lead back to eight points with 3:54 to go in the contest. Things did get interesting late in the game, as an Allison Wagner (Center Conway, N.H.) three-pointer made it a two-point game at 63-61. Southern New Hampshire iced the game after that with two free throws, snapping the Warriors' season-long winning streak.
Inside The Numbers
- Johnson totaled a career high with 20 points and her 10 rebounds gave her a double-double for the fifth time this season. She entered the game leading the nation in field-goal percentage
- Merrimack shot nearly 57 percent in the second half, but it was not enough to erase a season-low 28 percent shooting in the first half
- Senior Chloe Rothman (Newton, Mass.) totaled seven points, snapping a nine-game streak of reaching double figures
Up Next
Merrimack returns home on Wednesday evening to take on Pace University at 5:30 p.m. Single-game tickets can be purchased online at this link. Merrimack basketball games are general-admission seating.
--
For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.
