Martin Leads Women's Basketball to First NE-10 Victory, 72-68, at Saint Michael's
Links: Box Score
COLCHESTER, Vt. – The Merrimack College women's basketball team led for the majority of the second half in a back-and-forth contest on Wednesday night between the Warriors and Saint Michael's College, holding on from the 72-68 victory in Northeast-10 Conference action from the Ross Sports Center.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 72, St. Michael's 68
Records: Merrimack (4-4, 1-2 NE-10) | St. Michael's (2-5, 0-4 NE-10)
Location: Ross Sports Center | Colchester, Vt.
How It Happened
The Warriors began the first five minutes of their first NE-10 road contest of the season by making two shots, including a three-pointer from freshman Lexi Martin (Franklin, Mass.), but the hosts led by five, 11-6, at the midway point of the opening quarter.
Facing a 13-8 deficit later in the quarter, the Warriors went on a 7-2 run to tie the game at 15-all. Reserves Amanda Hoover (Columbus, Ohio) and Hannah Neild (Litchfield, N.H.) combined to score all seven points of the spurt. The Purple Knights ended the quarter with five unanswered points though, leading by a 20-15 score after 10 minutes.
It took until nearly five minutes into the second frame, but the Warriors tied the contest at 23-23 following a layup from Tia Scott (New York, N.Y.). Hoover continued her strong first half with six more points to finish the opening stanza with 12. A jumper from inside the free-throw line from Ashley Weissmann (Highland, Calif.) sent the programs into halftime with Saint Michael's leading, 31-29.
The Warriors built their first extended lead of the night in the third quarter. Hoover made another bucket from the paint to push the Navy and Gold ahead, 37-35, at the 7:04 mark. Merrimack's lead grew to as large as six points in the third, following free throws from senior Madison Ward (Binghamton, N.Y.), and a jumper from Martin with 22 seconds left in the third ushered in the fourth quarter with the Warriors leading, 51-47.
Following two layups from Martin and Weissmann to begin the final frame, the Warriors built their largest lead of the night at 55-47. With less than six minutes to play, Leah Spencer scored seven consecutive points for the Purple Knights, capped off by a triple, to cut Merrimack's lead to two points at 63-61. Two St. Michael's free throws tied the game at 63-all with 3:33 left in the game.
Martin answered on the Warriors next possession with a trey of her own to get Merrimack the lead back. The shot began a stretch of three straight buckets for Martin, as the rookie kept the Warriors ahead in the final minutes. Hoover and Scott hit free throws down the stretch, enabling the Navy and Gold to collect the 72-68 victory.
Inside The Numbers
- Martin could not have picked a better night to have the best game of her career. The freshman hit nine of her 14 field-goal attempts, pouring in a career-high 19 points. She connected on her lone three-pointer of the night, which gave Merrimack the lead late in regulation. She also added four boards, three of which came on the offensive glass
- Hoover joined her teammate with 19 points, which was also a new career high for the senior forward. She also set a new personal best in rebounds, collecting seven on the night. Hoover now has scored in double figures on three occasions, combining with Martin for 38 of Merrimack's 43 bench points
- Scott continues to be the sparkplug for Merrimack's offense. She totaled 11 assists for the second straight game, as she now has at least 10 helpers in three of eight games this year. She also contributed 14 points, her first double-digit scoring output of the season. The double-double was her first of the season, and first since her assists-rebounds double-double against Southern Connecticut last season
- Defensively, the Warriors limited the Purple Knights to 17 combined points in the middle two quarters, enabling Merrimack to erase the 20-15 deficit they faced in the opening quarter
- Offensively, the Navy and Gold doubled up their hosts inside, outscoring the Purple Knights by 24 points, 48-24, in the paint
Up Next
The Warriors continue their road swing that spans the entire month of December on Saturday afternoon when Merrimack will be in Manchester, N.H. to face Saint Anselm at 1:30 p.m.
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