Le Moyne's Second-Half Comeback Dooms Women's Basketball, 61-58, in NE-10 First Round
Links: Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – In what was an intense atmosphere at Hammel Court on Friday night for the first Northeast-10 Women's Basketball Championship game in a decade at Merrimack College, the women's basketball team could not hold on to a double-digit halftime lead as the Le Moyne College Dolphins fought their way back for the 61-58 victory.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 58 | Le Moyne 61
Records: Merrimack (14-13, 10-11 NE-10) | Le Moyne (17-12, 10-10 NE-10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
2015 NE-10 Women's Basketball Championship Schedule
First Round – Friday, February 27
Game 1: #5 SW Le Moyne def. #4 NE Merrimack – 61-58
Game 2: #4 SW American International def. #5 NE Saint Michael's – 52-43
Quarterfinals – Sunday, March 1
Game 3: #5 SW Le Moyne at #1 SW Adelphi – 3:00 p.m.
Game 4: #4 SW American International at #1 NE Stonehill – 3:00 p.m.
Game 5: #3 NE Assumption at #2 SW New Haven – 3:00 p.m.
Game 6: #3 SW So. Connecticut at #2 NE Franklin Pierce – 3:00 p.m.
Semifinals – Thursday, March 5*
Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 3 winner – 7:00 PM
Game 8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 4 winner – 7:00 PM
Championship – Sunday, March 8*
Game 9: Game 8 winner vs. Game 7 winner – 1:00 PM
How It Happened
The contest matched the fourth-seed from the Northeast, Merrimack, against the fifth-seed from Southwest in Le Moyne against each other. Merrimack put forth one of its best halves of the season in the opening half, as by the end of 20 minutes, the Warriors were shooting nearly 60 percent from the field and held a 16-point advantage.
Le Moyne did score the first bucket of the game, as all-conference first-teamer Alex Marple put the Dolphins up 2-0. The Warriors would answer, stealing control of the game with a 14-0 run over the next six minutes. Five different players would score during that stretch for the Warriors, with Tia Scott (New York, N.Y.) as the only player notching more than one basket.
Le Moyne would score five of the next seven points to make it a nine-point game at 16-7. Merrimack responded with a 7-0 run, including a straightaway three-pointer from Caitlyn Garger (Hicksville, N.Y.), and the Warriors were up big at 23-7 with 11:38 to go in the half.
Merrimack continued its hot shooting a few minutes later when Garger hit a three-pointer and Rothman sunk a layup, pushing the Warriors lead to 23 at 34-11 with 7:44 left in the half. The would be the Navy and Gold's largest lead of the game. Chloe Rothman (Newton, Mass.) would score Merrimack's final four points of the half, but Le Moyne took a little momentum into halftime by scoring seven of the final nine points of the opening stanza. It was 38-22 heading into intermission, and it was Merrimack's first double-digit halftime advantage in the last 15 games.
With the way Merrimack dominated the first half, Le Moyne did the same thing to the Warriors in the second stanza. Scott hit a layup for the first points of the half, but the Dolphins responded with back-to-back three-point plays and it was a 12-point game at 40-28 less than one minute into the second half.
The Warriors responded, as Scott converted an old-fashioned three-point play of her own and Rothman hit another trey and it was 46-32 with 13:57 left in the game. The Dolphins continued to chip away at the lead, and at the midway point of the half it was a 10-point game at 50-40.
Marple hit two free throws with 9:10 to play and it was a single-digit game for the first time since the opening minutes of the contest at 50-42. Aria Johnson (Los Osos, Calif.) hit a layup three minutes later to extend Merrimack's advantage back to 10 points at 54-44.
With the game at 55-47 with five minutes remaining, the Dolphins went on their largest run of the game that essentially lasted until the end of the contest. Le Moyne scored 14 consecutive points to take a 61-55 lead with just seconds left. The go-ahead buck came with 90 seconds to go, as Vandell Andrade collected an offensive rebound and scored on the put-back. Allison Wagner (Center Conway, N.H.) hit a three-pointer at the buzzer, but Merrimack's season ended with the 61-58 loss.
Inside The Numbers
- It was a tale of two halves for both the Warriors and the Dolphins. In the first half, Merrimack shot an astounding 58 percent from the field, while Le Moyne only connected on 36 percent of their attempts. In the second half, it was Merrimack who struggled from the field, hitting on 8-of-23 attempts. Le Moyne didn't shoot much better, but got to the free-throw line 22 times, converting 16 of the attempts
- Rothman played in her final game with Merrimack, finishing with 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting in 29 minutes off the bench. She finishes her career sixth on Merrimack's all-time scoring list (1,329)
- Scott had another terrific game to conclude her junior season. She finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists in 33 minutes
- Merrimack committed 15 turnovers, compared to only eight for Le Moyne. The Dolphins were able to score 22 times off of the Warriors' miscues
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