Valiant Second-Half Effort Falls Short in OT as Women's Basketball Loses at Pace, 64-58
Links: Box Score
PLESANTVILLE, N.Y. – Senior point guard Tia Scott (Harlem, N.Y.) became the first player nationwide to record multiple triple-doubles this season, but the Merrimack College women's basketball team was unable to complete its comeback effort in a 64-58 overtime defeat to Pace University on Saturday from the Goldstein Fitness Center. The Warriors went on a 21-0 second-half run to erase a 15-point deficit and took a fourth-quarter lead before falling in the extra session.
The Basics
Score: Pace 64, Merrimack 58
Records: Merrimack (7-8, 3-6 NE-10) | Pace (9-7, 4-4 NE-10)
Location: Goldstein Fitness Center | Pleasantville, N.Y.
How It Happened
Jumping right to late in the third quarter, the Warriors faced a 41-25 deficit with 2:12 to play with their offense sputtering. Then, a three-pointer from freshman Hannah Neild (Litchfield, N.H.) started one of the best offensive runs of the season for the Navy and Gold, beginning a stretch of 21 unanswered points bridging the third and fourth quarters.
The Warriors ended the third quarter with 10 unanswered points, including a second triple from Neild. The fourth quarter began with Pace still leading 41-35, but 11 more points went Merrimack's way to take a 46-41 advantage. Senior Caitlyn Garger (Hicksville, N.Y.) poured in the first seven points of the frame and fittingly ended the run with a jumper.
The 21-0 spurt lasted 5:30 of game time, beginning with two minutes remaining in the third quarter and lasting until the 6:30 mark of the fourth. Defensively, Merrimack limited Pace to 0-for-8 from the field while forcing the Setters into six turnovers.
It took until 20 seconds remaining in the game, but the Setters rebounded to tie the score at 50-all after free throws from Yuni Sher. Junior guard My'Asia Alston (Cohoes, N.Y.) missed a jumper as the buzzer sounded, sending the game to overtime, Merrimack's second straight contest to last longer than 40 minutes.
Scott started the final five minutes with a layup, but Pace scored nine of the next 12 points to take a 59-55 advantage with 3:07 to play. With 29 seconds to play and trailing by six, Scott stepped to the free-throw line, already totaling 10 assists and 12 rebounds, and made both attempts to record a triple-double for the second straight game. That was the final points Merrimack scored though, as Pace walked away with the 64-58 cross-divisional victory.
The game started with Pace jumping out to a 13-7 lead after the first 10 minutes of action. Alston began the scoring with a triple in the second minute of the game. Pace responded with an 8-0 spurt to take a 8-3 lead with 4:48 to play in the first. Pace also answered with the final three points of the quarter, capped off by a lay-in from Kirsten Dodge.
Both offenses improved in the second quarter. Senior forwad Amanda Hoover (Columbus, Ohio) scored eight seconds into the frame to begin the scoring. Later in the frame Garger hit a three-pointer as the Warriors faced a 17-12 deficit with 5:50 left in the half. The Setters proceeded to outscore the Warriors 13-7 to end the half and take a 30-19 advantage into intermission.
Inside The Numbers
- Scott recorded the seventh triple-double nationwide and the first in the East Region this season on Wednesday, and it didn't take her long to match that feat. Similar to her performance against New Haven, her final 25 minutes were particularly impressive. She notched all 10 of her points, nine assists and nine rebounds after only playing in five first-half minutes due to foul trouble
- Seventeen combined points from Neild and Garger propelled the Warriors back into the game during the 21-0 run. The latter in particular posted a stellar day, recording a career-high 25 points on 9-of-19 shooting. She hit 3-of-6 from beyond the arc while also contributing five rebounds
- More on Caitlyn: Through three games Garger is leading the Warriors in scoring at 16.0 points-per-game. If she qualified, that total would rank fourth in the conference
- Thirty-six of Merrimack's 58 points came from the bench, as the Warriors outscored the Setters by 20 in bench scoring. Neild and Hoover combined for 11 to go along with Garger's 25 points. Scott was the lone Warriors starter to finish in double figures
- Gabriella Rubin played 39 of 45 minutes for the Setters, leading Pace with 19 points. Defensively the Setters limited the Warriors to 23.5 percent shooting from the field, powering the hosts to victory
Up Next
Merrimack returns home on Tuesday afternoon as the Warriors host Education Day on campus as part of their hoops doubleheader against Southern Connecticut. Tipoff between the Warriors and Owls is set for 1:30 p.m.
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