Women's Basketball Orchestrates Fourth-Quarter Comeback to Defeat Molloy, 55-53
Links: Highlights | Box Score | Johnson/Weissmann Interview
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Junior forward Savannah Johnson (Palmdale, Calif.) notched her first-ever double-double with a career-high 19 points and 16 rebounds and senior guard Ashley Weissmann (Highland, Calif.) corralled 17 boards of her own, also a career high, as the Merrimack College women's basketball team defeated Molloy College, 55-53, in comeback fashion on Saturday from Hammel Court.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 55, Molloy 53
Records: Merrimack (2-2, 0-1 NE-10) | Molloy (1-3, 0-0 ECC)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
How It Happened
After struggling offensively for most of the game, the Warriors saved their best effort for the final few minutes. Facing a nine-point deficit, 47-38, with nine minutes to play in the game, the Warriors went on a 8-0 run to make it a 47-45 game. Madison Ward (Binghamton, N.Y.) converted on a three-point play, while Johnson scored three of Merrimack's eight points during the stretch.
Defensively, Merrimack held the Lions scoreless for a span of 6:08, before a free throw from Aliyah McDonald pushed the Lions' lead back to three, 48-45, with less than three minutes to play. The Lions only hit two field goals in the entire final quarter.
With two minutes to play, the Navy and Gold completed the comeback. The program's exchanged a pair of free throws apiece before a layup from Johnson made it 50-49 with 1:19 to go. The Warriors forced a miss on Molloy's next possession, while Weissmann's 17th rebound of the day got Merrimack on the fast break, which ended in Johnson converting on a three-point play.
Junior guard My'Asia Alston (Cohoes, N.Y.) hit three of her four attempts from the free-throw line over the final 20 seconds to clinch the game for the Warriors. The Lions nearly got a shot off in the waning seconds, but the buzzer sounded before Molloy could muster an attempt.
Both teams struggled from the field in the early going, as the Warriors and the Lions met for the third time in program history. Freshman Hannah Neild (Litchfield, N.H.) gave the Navy and Gold an early 3-2 following a triple three minutes in. With the score at 5-4 midway through the first quarter, Molloy went on a 10-3 run to end the opening frame, highlighted by a three-pointer from Shantana Kanhoye with 16 seconds remaining.
The Warriors started the second quarter hot, scoring eight of the quarter's first 12 points to make it a 18-16 game with 7:13 to play in the half From there, Molloy seven unanswered points to build its lead back to nine points. The Lions entered the halftime break with a 28-23 advantage.
Inside The Numbers
- Johnson entered the game with 15 total rebounds and 16 total points before her breakout performance on Saturday. She shot 7-of-12 from the field, and 13 of her 16 caroms were on the defensive glass. She increased her season averages to 8.8 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game after her career performance
- Just as impressive, Weissmann's 17-rebound game contributed heavily to Merrimack's ability to control the glass. Weissmann currently is averaging a double-double with 11.0 ppg and 10.0 rpg
- The Warriors held a 26-board advantage by the end of the game, leading to a 12-0 advantage in second-chance points. The Navy and Gold compiled 15 more offensive rebounds than the Lions
- Alston and Ward joined Johnson in double figures, finishing with 12 and 11 points, respectively
- Defensive does the trick: After Molloy shot 40 percent from the field in the opening half, Merrimack limited the visitor to just 27 percent from the field in the second stanza. The Lions were only able to connect on two field goals in the final quarter.
Up Next
The Navy and Gold return to conference play on Tuesday night when the Warriors host Stonehill, the defending Northeast Division champions, at 5:30 p.m. from Hammel Court.
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