Scott's Near Perfect Day Leads Women's Basketball to 58-46 Win at Sciences
Links: Box Score
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Senior point guard Tia Scott (New York, N.Y.) scored a career-high 20 points on 5-of-6 shooting and a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line as the Merrimack College women's basketball team defeated the University of the Sciences, 58-46, on Sunday afternoon to close out both the 2015 year and the non-conference portion of its 2015-16 schedule.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 58, Sciences 46
Records: Merrimack (6-6, 2-4 NE-10) | Sciences (3-8, 3-3 CACC)
Location: Bobby Morgan Arena | Philadelphia, Pa.
How It Happened
The Warriors put forth a stellar defensive first half to pull away from the Devils in the first-ever meeting between the two regional opponents. Merrimack scored the first eight points of the game, holding Sciences scoreless over the first 5:25 of game action. Scott converted on an old-fashioned three-point play, while Hannah Neild (Litchfield, N.H.) hit a shot from beyond the arc during that stretch.
The Devils made just two field goals in the first quarter, as the Warriors ended the opening frame on a 9-1 run to enter the second quarter with a 19-5 advantage. Senior guard Ashley Weissmann (Highland, Calif.) began the run with a trey, while senior forward Amanda Hoover (Columbus, Ohio) made consecutive buckets to follow the triple.
The defensive intensity continued in the second quarter. It took the Devils until there was less than five minutes remaining in the half to score, which saw the Warriors build a 20-point lead at that point, their largest of the game. Merrimack went into halftime holding a 32-13 lead, the fewest points allowed for the Warriors at halftime so far this season. They held the Devils to 15 percent shooting from the field, as the hosts made just four first-half field goals.
Merrimack's lead never dipped below 14 points in the third quarter, as the Warriors led by double digits for the majority of the second half. Junior guard My'Asia Alston (Cohoes, N.Y.) hit a triple to start the second stanza for the Warriors, while Weissmann closed out Merrimack's third-quarter scoring with a three-point play.
Scott entered the fourth quarter with 11 points on the afternoon, and iced the contest for the Warriors with nine of her 20 points in the fourth. Over a span of 82 seconds that started with 1:31 to go, Scott scored nine straight points, seven of which came from the charity stripe.
With the win, the Navy and Gold enter the new year with a 6-6 overall record, while the loss dropped the Devils to a 3-8 mark through 11 contests.
Inside The Numbers
- The out-of-conference affair marked Scott's first-ever 20-point game. Her previous career high of 15 points was set during the spring of her freshman season. Her 10 free-throws made were also the most of her career
- Weissmann joined Scott in double figures with 10 points, extending her double-digit scoring streak to four games. She has scored at least 10 points in eight of 11 games this season
- Hoover set a new career high on the glass, corralling 10 caroms. The senior has 27 boards of her last three games after entering the month of December with 19 total rebounds on the year
- The Devils ended the game shooting 30 percent from the field, making only 16 of their 553 attempts. The Warriors forward Sciences to commit 20 turnovers, scoring 14 points off those miscues
Up Next
The Navy and Gold return to Hammel Court on Saturday, Jan. 2, when the Warriors host Assumption College in Northeast-10 Conference action. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.
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