Women's Basketball Falters vs. SNHU Sunday, 67-65

Women's Basketball Falters vs. SNHU Sunday, 67-65

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NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The visiting Southern New Hampshire Penmen led by nine points with under three minutes remaining over the Merrimack College women's basketball team, and held off a late Warriors' comeback to prevail, 67-65, in a Northeast-10 Conference tilt from Hammel Court on Sunday afternoon.

The Basics
 Score: Southern N.H. 67, Merrimack 65
Records: Merrimack (4-7, 3-4 NE10) | Southern N.H. (6-6, 3-4 NE10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.

The Turning Point:
 Penmen guard Catherine Stinson hit her first 3-pointer of the game on her first attempt from distance, making it a 65-56 game with 2:35 to play in regulation. Despite a 9-2 Merrimack run to end the game, the nine-point deficit proved too much to overcome.

How It Happened (First Quarter)

  • For the first time this season, the Warriors switched up their starting five. Sophomore Karlee Alves (Ellington, Conn.) made her debut start in Merrimack's backcourt
  • The Penmen jumped out to a 7-2 advantage over the first four minutes, with three different players scoring
  • A three-point play from sophomore Lexi Martin (Franklin, Mass.) brought the deficit down to two, 9-7, with 1:39 remaining. The Penmen responded with a triple from Sara Ryan, but a layup from senior Savannah Johnson (Palmdale, Calif.) and a free throw from freshman Giulia Orlando (Haverhill, Mass.) made it a 12-10 game after 10 minutes

How It Happened (Second Quarter)

  • The contest was tied five times over the first five minutes of the second. Sophomore Hannah Neild (Litchfield, N.H.) gave Merrimack a brief 13-12 lead by hitting a 3-point to start the frame. With the Penmen ahead 21-19, Alves drained a 18-footer from the right wing to pull the Warriors even once again
  • Sophomore Lindsay Werner (Groton, Mass.) drained a mid-range jumper to put the Navy and Gold up 23-21 at the 4:13 mark. The Penmen, however, ended the opening stanza on a 7-2 spurt to take a 28-25 halftime lead.

How It Happened (Third Quarter)

  • SNHU made 6-of-10 from the field to start the third quarter, building the largest lead of the game at that point, 42-33. Leading scorer Kylie Lorenzen converted a three-point play during the stretch while Victoria Dean – the NE10's leading 3-point shooter – swished a triple to cap off the run
  • The Warriors answered with a 9-3 run to pull within three points, 45-42. Werner hit a triple to start the run, while senior My'Asia Alston (Cohoes, N.Y.) converted consecutive lay-ins on the fast break
  • The Penmen collected three points at the free-throw line sandwiched between a corner jumper from Martin to make it a 50-46 contest entering the fourth

How It Happened (Fourth Quarter)

  • A second-chance layup from freshman Denia Davis-Stewart (Dorchester, Mass.) made it a one-possession game, 53-50, 2:10 into the final frame. The Penmen answered with four straight points, however, to push the lead back to seven
  • Stinson's triple came from the right corner with under three minutes left in the game. Merrimack surged to score eight unanswered points, which featured two layups from Martin, a jumper from Alston and a free throw from Davis-Stewart to transform the score to 65-63.
  • Davis-Stewart's make came with 34 seconds left, and the Penmen were able to bleed 24 seconds off the block before the Warriors sent them to the charity stripe with 10 seconds left, securing the win with a pair of free throws

Inside The Numbers

  • Johnson posted her second double-double of the season, both of which have come in the last three games. She finished with 12 points and a season-high 15 caroms, nine of which came on the offensive glass
  • Martin tied her season high with 18 points, shooting 8-of-11 from the field. She now has scored in double figures on four occasions this season, three of which have come this month
  • The program's combined for 31 offensive rebounds, which led to 30 combined second-chance points. The Penmen held a two-point edge in that category, 16-14
  • The 3-point arc proved to be an advantage for the visitors, with the Penmen making nearly 44 percent of their attempts
  • The Penmen utilized a balanced attack, with six players recording at least six points led by 14 from Lorenzen
  • Field Goals (%): MER 28-65 (43.1) // SNHU 25-67 (37.3)
  • 3-Point Field Goals (%): MER 3-21 (14.3) // SNHU 7-16 (43.8)

Up Next
 The Warriors will not return to action until Saturday, Dec. 31, when the Warriors will close out 2016 with a non-conference affair against Holy Family at 2 p.m. from Hammel Court.

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For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.

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