Assumption Edges Women's Basketball, 63-47
Links: Box Score
WORCESTER, Mass. – The Assumption College Greyhounds used a 16-0 run that spanned the end of the second and the beginning of the third quarter on Thursday evening to edge the Merrimack College women's basketball program, 63-47, in a Northeast-10 Conference tilt from Laska Gymnasium.
The Basics
Score: Assumption 63, Merrimack 47
Records: Merrimack (4-6, 3-3 NE10) | Assumption (6-3, 4-3 NE10)
Location: Laska Gymnasium | Worcester, Mass.
How It Happened
- Over the first 4:29 of the game the Greyhounds and Warriors exchanged four points apiece. Senior captains My'Asia Alston (Cohoes, N.Y.) and Savannah Johnson (Palmdale, Calif.) each collected a field goal during that span.
- From there Assumption scored five unanswered to take a 9-4 lead, but sophomore Hannah Neild (Litchfield, N.H.) and Alston combined for five of their own to tie the game. The Greyhounds ended the frame on a 7-2 run to bring a 16-11 advantage into the second quarter
- The first 5:18 of the second quarter saw the team's combine to score just nine points. Sophomore Lexi Martin (Franklin, Mass.) used a screen to get to the rim and finished with the left hand, making it 20-16 Assumption, and prompting a timeout from the hosts. With the score at 22-16, Alston scored five straight to pull the Navy and Gold within one with less than three minutes left in the half
- The Greyhounds surged ahead in the final 1:30 of the opening stanza, ending the half on a 7-0 spurt. Morgan O'Donnell tallied four points and a three-point play from Jaclyn Storey marked the half's final points to make it 29-21 in favor of the hosts
- The run extended to 16 unanswered points when the Greyhounds started the third quarter with nine straight, making it a 38-21 game before Merrimack used a timeout with 6:42 left in the third
- A 6-2 run that included four points and a steal from Neild brought the deficit down to 13, 40-27, with 3:56 remaining in the third quarter. The run extended to 12-2 following a pair of triples from Neild, bringing her to 11 points in the quarter
- Assumption responded swiftly, however, draining a pair of triples of its own to increase its advantage to 47-33 with 62 seconds remaining in the quarter. The third quarter ended with the Greyhounds owning a 50-35 advantage with one frame to play
- Freshman Emily Houle (Attleboro, Mass.) checked into the game for the first time at the start of the fourth, and immediately forced a turnover and hit a free throw. The Greyhounds' lead reached 18 points with five minutes remaining. Merrimack worked it down to an 11-point game late, but the Greyhounds halted the comeback effort there, winning by a 63-47 final
Inside The Numbers
- Neild scored in double figures for the sixth time this season, totaling 17 points while shooting 5-of-9 from the field. All of her field goals came from beyond the arc, marking the fifth time this season that she has hit at least four in a game
- Alston finished with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, her best field-goal percentage since Merrimack's season opener at Georgian Court. The Warriors' senior point guard has now scored in double figures in four straight games
- Merrimack was hampered by 12 first-quarter turnovers while led to 20 points for Assumption. The Greyhounds also won the battle inside, outscoring the Warriors by 16 in the paint
- Morgan O'Donnell led all scorers with 20 points, playing in 21 minutes off the bench for the hosts while shooting 8-of-14 from the field
- Field Goals (%): MER 15-45 (33.3) // ASM 22-59 (37.3)
- 3-Point Field Goals (%): MER 6-15 (40.0) // ASM 6-16 (37.5)
Up Next
Merrimack will enjoy nine days off before the Warriors return to action one week from Sunday when the Navy and Gold host Southern New Hampshire at 1 p.m. from Hammel Court.
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