Women's Basketball Hands Southern New Hampshire First Loss, 64-44, Behind Neild's Career Night
Links: Box Score | Hannah Neild Interview
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Freshman Hannah Neild (Litchfield, N.H.) scored a career-high 15 points off the bench and the Warriors held Southern New Hampshire to 0-of-14 from three-point range as the Merrimack College women's basketball team handed the Penmen their first loss of the season, 64-44, on Wednesday evening from the SNHU Fieldhouse.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 64, Southern New Hampshire 44
Records: Merrimack (5-5, 2-3 NE-10) | Southern New Hampshire (8-1, 4-1 NE-10)
Location: SNHU Fieldhouse | Manchester, N.H.
How It Happened
Merrimack used a 9-2 run over the final 4:49 of the first quarter to open up a 15-6 advantage after 10 minutes of play. Four different players scored buckets for the Warriors during the stretch. Senior captain Ashley Weissmann (Highland, Calif.) hit a left-wing triple in transition to cap off the run, which was set up by a steal by senior center Madison Ward (Binghamton, N.Y.).
The Warriors played an impressive quarter on the defensive end, holding the Penmen to just 3-of-18 shooting, and forcing the hosts into five turnovers.
SNHU cut the deficit to five points, 19-14, at the 6:23 mark remaining in the first half. At that point,the Warriors responded with five straight points, including a straightaway three-pointer from Neild. That shot from the freshman started a 14-4 run for the Warriors, which ended with another trey from the rookie to make it 33-18 Warriors. The Penmen made one more bucket to make it a 13-point game at halftime.
Neild finished the opening half perfect from the field (4-of-4). The Warriors held the Penmen to 30 percent shooting in the first stanza, including 0-for-7 from beyond the arc. The Navy and Gold also outscored the Penmen, 11-0, in points-off-turnovers.
The Warriors continued their strong play in the third quarter. Merrimack outscored SNHU by seven points over the first 6:44 of the quarter, seeing its lead grow to 22 points. Weissmann led the Warriors with six points in the frame, giving her 13 for the game.
The Penmen got six straight points from Catherine Stinson to begin the fourth quarter, but point guard Tia Scott (New York, N.Y.) found Amanda Hoover (Columbus, Ohio) on the break for a wide open layup to stop the run. With less than three minutes to play, Neild hit her third triple of night to set a new career high with 15 points.
Inside The Numbers
- Neild came off the bench on fire, hitting her first four shots in the first half and starting the game 5-of-5 from the field. The rookie finished the game shooting 6-of-8 from the field, notching a trio of three-pointers, while adding six rebounds and three steals
- Shutdown D: The Warriors limited the Penmen to six first-quarter points and 3-of-18 from the field. The Warriors did not allow a three-point field goal (0-of-14) for the first time this season. In fact, over the last three years at the SNHU Fieldhouse, the Navy and Gold have limited to Penmen to 1-of-29 shooting from beyond the arc
- Weissmann and Ward combined for 10 field goals and joined Neild in double figures with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Weissmann finished one rebound shy of a double-double
- Hoover made his first career start at the forward position, posting a solid line of eight points and a career-high nine boards
- The Navy and Gold outscored the Penmen by 10 points (36-26) in the paint, while converting 19 points off of 19 SNHU turnovers
Up Next
The Warriors play in their final league contest of the 2015 calendar year on Saturday when Merrimack travels to Rindge, N.H. to face Franklin Pierce at 1:30 p.m.
--
For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.
