Comeback Bid Falls Short as Women's Basketball Drops Home Opener, 68-60, vs. Bentley
Links: Highlights | Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's basketball team began the second half on a 24-7 run that extended into the fourth quarter to nearly erase an 18-point halftime deficit but the comeback bid fell short as the visiting Bentley Falcons hung on for a 68-60 victory on Wednesday night from Hammel Court. The contest marked the Northeast-10 Conference opener for both squads.
The Basics
Score: Bentley 68, Merrimack 60
Records: Merrimack (1-2, 0-1 NE-10) | Bentley (3-0, 1-0 NE-10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
How It Happened
The second stanza provided the most fireworks on the night as the Warriors outscored the visiting Falcons by 13 points in the third quarter to counteract a 40-22 halftime lead for Bentley.
Junior guard My'Asia Alston (Cohoes, N.Y.) started the frame with a three-pointer followed by jumpers from Amanda Hoover (Columbus, Ohio) and Ashley Weissmann (Highland, Calif.) to make it a 13-point game. The 7-2 run was answered briefly by consecutive buckets for the Falcons to push the lead back to 17, 46-29.
Over the final five minutes of the quarter the Warriors went on a 12-0 run, holding the Falcons to two missed shots and seven turnovers during that stretch. Freshman Hannah Neild (Litchfield, N.H.) capped off the quarter with a three-pointer as time expired to make it 46-41 game entering the final quarter.
Merrimack's run extended to the fourth quarter as Alston scored the Warriors first five points to make it 47-46 with less than eight minutes to play. Jen Gemma answered for the Falcons with a layup at the 6:49 mark, but Weissmann sunk a layup just nine seconds later to make it a one-point game again at 49-48.
The Falcons responded well over the next three minutes, building a 59-53 advantage. Alston struck again for the Warriors at the 3:11 mark with a trey to make it 59-56, but that was as close Merrimack would get. The Falcons ended the game on a 9-4 run to hold off the Navy and Gold and secure the victory.
Bentley started the game on a 10-2 run which contributed to its 21-13 advantage. With the score at 29-19 midway through the second quarter, the Falcons embarked on a 11-3 surge to end the half with a 40-22 lead.
Inside The Numbers
- Alston had her most effective offensive game of the season on Wednesday night. She set her career high, albeit a brief career, with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting. After beginning the year with only one three-pointer on nine attempts, she hit 3-of-7 from beyond the arc in her home debut
- With 12 points and eight rebounds against the Falcons, Weissmann has finished in double figures and corralled at least six rebounds in the first three games to begin the season. She leads the Warriors through three games with 7.7 boards per contest
- A pair of rookies in Neild and freshman Lexi Martin (Franklin, Mass.) provided the Navy and Gold with solid minutes off the bench. Both players set season highs with nine and eight points, respectively, as the posted identical marks of 4-of-6 from the field
- An all-conference performer from a season ago, Gemma proved why she returns as one of the top players in the conference. She made nine of her 11 field-goal attempts for 22 points and snatched 12 boards for the double-double
- The Warriors shot 40 percent overall and 44 percent in the second half. Alston keyed Merrimack's comeback, hitting all three of her three-pointers in the second stanza. Both teams struggled in the turnover department, combined for 48 miscues on the night
Up Next
The Navy and Gold return to Hammel Court on Saturday afternoon for a 1 p.m. tipoff against Molloy College.
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