Women's Basketball Uses Second-Half Run to Pull Away from Southern CT, 68-64
Links: Box Score
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Merrimack College women's basketball team snapped its two-game losing streak as the Warriors used a strong second half to pull away from Southern Connecticut, 68-64, from New Haven on Monday afternoon. Senior forward Aria Johnson (Los Osos, Calif.) set a new career high with 25 points and junior guard Tia Scott (New York, N.Y.) totaled career highs in assists (12) and rebounds (10) for her first career double-double.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 68 | Southern CT 64
Records: Merrimack (12-11, 8-10 NE-10) | Southern CT (13-12, 10-7 NE-10)
Location: Moore Field House | New Haven, Conn.
What They Said:
Head coach Monique LeBlanc: "The team did a great job of establishing the pace and a rhythm tonight. We committed to rebounding and that really started our offense."
Northeast-10 Postseason Outlook
As the contest between the Warriors and Owls was the only one on the docket in the Northeast-10 Conference, the Northeast Division did not change much. Merrimack is now tied with Assumption at 8-10, but the Greyhounds hold the tiebreaker over the Warriors due to its victory of division-winning Stonehill earlier this season.
1) Stonehill (20-2, 16-2)
2) Franklin Pierce (14-8, 11-7)
3) Assumption (13-10, 8-10)
4) Merrimack (12-11, 8-10)
5) Saint Michael's (11-12, 6-12)
6) Southern NH (11-14, 5-13)
7) Bentley (10-14, 5-13)
8) Saint Anselm (7-16, 5-13)
How It Happened
The Warriors and the Owls finally hit the court against each other after the two programs were originally scheduled to play on January 27, but inclement weather caused the matchup to be postponed twice.
Both teams started off well on the offensive end of the floor, as a Sydni Lester jumper made it 11-7 in favor of the Owls just five minutes into the game. Junior center Madison Ward (Binghamton, N.Y.) scored four consecutive points for Merrimack upon entering the game, cutting the Owls' lead to two points, 13-11, seven minutes in. That was the beginning of a strong opening half for Ward.
The scoring hit a lull at the midway point in the opening stanza, as a Maria Weselyj jumper pushed Southern CT's lead to five at 20-15. Then Jackie Beathea scored a two-pointer to create a seven-point advantage, which was the Owls largest lead of the half.
The turning point of the half came at the six-minute mark. Trailing by seven, freshman forward Stormee Van Belle (Sunnyside, Wash.) hit a jumper which began an 8-0 run for Merrimack. Ward then scored five unanswered points, including a three-point play to tie the game at 26 with three minutes left. A Johnson layup gave the Warriors their first lead since the opening basket of the game at 28-26. The Navy and Gold took a three-point lead, 31-28, into halftime. Scott tied her career high with nine assists in the opening half.
Johnson and junior captain Ashley Weissmann (Highland, Calif.) led the Warriors on an 11-4 run to open the second half. First, Johnson scored the first six Warriors' points to open the second stanza, pushing her total to 14 for the game. On Johnson's first basket, Scott established her new career high with her 10th helper. Then Weissmann scored five straight, capped off by a left-wing three-pointer, to give the Warriors their largest lead at the point of the game, 42-32, less than three minutes into the half.
Johnson would be the story of the second half for the Navy and Gold, as she scored 10 points within the first 4:58 of the second stanza, and Merrimack led 49-40 with 15:02 left in the game. Merrimack would take a timeout with 10:15 to play, leading 57-49 after a Caitlyn Garger (Hicksville, N.Y.) jumper.
With 7:43 left in the game, Johnson set a new career high with her 22nd point of the game. As the clock ticked under six minutes to go, senior guard Chloe Rothman (Newton, Mass.), Merrimack's leading scorer, made her first basket of the game to make it 64-55 in favor of Merrimack.
Garger would score the final points for Merrimack at the 3:25 mark of the second half, pushing the lead to 68-57. Despite not scoring the rest of the game, the Warriors defense was able to hold off the Owls and come away with a 68-64 victory.
Inside The Numbers
- Johnson put together her best offensive performance of the season, at a time when the Warriors desperately needed it. She set career highs in scoring with 25 points and field-goals made with 11. She has now scored in double figures for the fourth straight game and it is the second time this season that Johnson has tallied at least 20 points
- It was a contest filled with career numbers for the Warriors, as Scott not only totaled her first-ever double-double, but in doing so she set career highs in assists (12) and rebounds (10). Eight of her 10 caroms came on the defensive glass, while she compiled nine assists in the first half
- Ward was an important cog in the game plan for the Warriors, as her nine first-half points allowed Merrimack to take the lead for good. She finished with 13 points, the second time she has eclipsed double figures this season and the most she has scored in a conference game in her career
- Merrimack was able to defeat Southern CT without Rothman making a significant impact scoring the basketball. She finished with a season-low two points, but did contribute three assists and one blocked shot
- The Navy and Gold won the game on the interior, as the Warriors outrebounded the Owls by 10 boards and outscored their opponents in the paint, 44-24
Up Next
Merrimack will play its second game of the week and third in five days when the Warriors battle Saint Anselm up in Manchester, N.H. on Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m.
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