Le Moyne Sinks Women's Basketball in Final Seconds Saturday Afternoon, 54-53
Links: Box Score
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Vandell Andrade hit a spinning layup with seven seconds remaining in the game, capping off a contest that saw 12 lead changes as the Le Moyne College Dolphins defeated the Merrimack College women's basketball team, 54-53, on Saturday afternoon from Ted Grant Court in Northeast-10 Conference action.
The Basics
Score: Le Moyne 54, Merrimack 53
Records: Merrimack (7-10, 3-8 NE-10) | Le Moyne (8-8, 5-5 NE-10)
Location: Ted Grant Court | Syracuse, N.Y.
How It Happened
Le Moyne jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first quarter, but a straightaway three-pointer from freshman Hannah Neild (Litchfield, N.H.) gave the Warriors their first lead of the day, 8-5, with 4:32 to play in the quarter. Merrimack's lead grew to six points after a jumper from Madison Ward (Binghampton, N.Y.) and My'Asia Alston (Cohoes, N.Y.) hit a bucket as time expired and Merrimack led 18-14 after 10 minutes.
The Dolphins took the lead back four minutes into the second quarter, 21-20, following a triple from Ailayia Demand. Freshman Lexi Martin (Franklin, Mass.) hit back-to-back buckets to give the Warriors the lead back at 26-24. Then, the Dolphins appeared to have the last possession of the half, but senior guard Ashley Weissmann stole the ball and converted the layup on the other end as Merrimack led at the half, 29-26.
Weissmann led the Navy and Gold with seven first-half points, while Alston contributed six of her own, making 3-of-5 from the field over the first 20 minutes. Alston continued her strong game in the third quarter, hitting a three at the 6:41 mark of the third and the Warriors were up by two, 34-32.
The Dolphins surged ahead entering the fourth quarter thanks to an 11-2 run over the final four minutes of the third. Leading scorer Vandell Andrade started the spurt with two points and Ellie Leszyk added six point as well for the hosts.
It took until the 3:41 mark of the fourth quarter for Merrimack to take the lead back, 50-49, after a layup from senior Tia Scott (New York, N.Y.). Before that, the Warriors had cut the deficit to one point on two occasions, only to see the Dolphins maintain their advantage. The Warriors held a one-point advantage until the final Le Moyne possession, when Andrade hit a left-handed layup to put the Dolphins ahead for good, 54-53.
On Merrimack's final possession, Alston was called for travelling with 0.8 seconds remaining as the Warriors did not get a shot off. With the win, Le Moyne increased its winning streak to three games in the all-time series.
Inside The Numbers
- Weissmann scored in double figures for the first time in 2016, totaling a team-high 15 points. The total marked her third highest this season, two shy of her career high of 17 that she set earlier this season at Saint Anselm
- The Navy and Gold shot nearly 43 percent from the field, and limited Le Moyne to 35.6 percent on the defensive end. The Dolphins sunk five three-pointers, compared to just a pair of triples for the Warriors
- Twenty-five of the Dolphins' 54 points came off the bench, compared to just 16 points for the Merrimack reserves
- The Dolphins held a 40-32 advantage on the glass, doubling the Warriors up in offensive rebounding as well (16-8)
Up Next
The Warriors begin a stretch of four of their next five games at Hammel Court when Merrimack hosts the College of Saint Rose on Wednesday from Hammel Court at 5:30 p.m.
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