Women's Basketball Tied for Fifth in Northeast Division after 65-55 Victory vs. SNHU
Links: Highlights | Box Score | Tia Scott Interview
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Outside of a brief stretch during the first quarter, the Merrimack College women's basketball team led the entire way in its crucial 65-55 victory over Southern New Hampshire on Saturday afternoon from Hammel Court. The win created a three-way tie for fifth place, the final playoff spot from the Northeast Division, between Merrimack, SNHU and Stonehill with three games remaining in the regular season.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 65, Southern N.H. 55
Records: Merrimack (11-13, 7-11 NE-10) | Southern N.H. (13-11, 7-11 NE-10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
NE-10 Postseason Outlook:
The top five teams in the Northeast Division advance to the NE-10 Championship, with the fifth seed playing the fourth seed out of the Southwest in the opening round. As the tiebreakers currently stand, Stonehill would advance to the postseason due to its two victories over Franklin Pierce. Merrimack holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over the SNHU after sweeping the season series on Saturday.
1) Bentley (14-4)
2) Saint Anselm (12-6)
t3) Assumption (10-8)
t3) Franklin Pierce (10-8)
t5) Stonehill (7-11)
t5) Merrimack (7-11)
t5) Southern New Hampshire (7-11)
8) Saint Michael's (4-14)
How It Happened
Merrimack began the day needing a defeat and a Stonehill loss at Assumption to create the three-way deadlock, which played out by the end of the afternoon.
A three-pointer from Caitlyn Garger (Hicksville, N.Y.) got the Warriors off to a hot start, making it 5-2 Merrimack less than two minutes into the game. Later in the first with the Penmen leading 8-7, the Warriors ended the quarter on a 6-0 run. Senior Ashley Weissmann (Highland, Calif.) and freshman Hannah Neild (Litchfield, N.H.) hit layups during the stretch, as the Warriors took a 13-8 lead entering the second quarter.
Another bucket from Neild gave the Navy and Gold their largest lead of the half, 17-10, early in the second frame. The Penmen worked their way back into the game late in the quarter, with a three-point play from Sara Ryan making it 25-23 Warriors with 2:12 left in the half. After Garger converted a layup, Brianna Camara registered a three-point play of her own, sending the contest into halftime with the Navy and Gold up one, 27-26.
After a Ryan three-pointer tied it up at 29-all, the Warriors went on a 10-0 run to surge forward. Junior Savannah Johnson (Palmdale, Calif.) started the stretch with a lay-in, while Neild's triple with 5:01 on the clock put an exclamation point on the spurt. Senior point guard Tia Scott (Harlem, N.Y.) notched five straight points to make it a 13-point advantage, 46-33, but the Penmen scored the final five points of the frame to start the fourth trailing by eight, 48-36.
The two squads traded baskets early in the fourth, with a bucket from Madison Ward (Binghamton, N.Y.) making it 52-42 Warriors with eight minutes to play. With the score at 56-44 later in the quarter, SNHU scored four straight to make it a four-point game, 54-50, with 3:44 to play. From there, the Warriors went on a game-clinching 6-0 run, headlined by a free-throw line jumper from Scott with 2:15 remaining. The Penmen never got closer than nine over the final two minutes, with the Warriors winning by a 65-55 margin.
Inside The Numbers
- Scott posted another strong effort, with 18 points, seven assists and five rebounds. She has scored in double figures in five of her last six games and 10 times overall this season
- The Warriors bench outscored the Penmen bench by eight, 20-12, with Neild leading the way with nine points of the three reserves who scored for Merrimack. Junior My'Asia Alston (Cohoes, N.Y.) and Lexi Martin (Franklin, Mass.) combined for 11 points as well
- Garger finished one point and one rebound shy of a double-double (9 pts., 9 reb.), which would have been her first double-double of the year. The nine caroms were a new career high for the senior
- Merrimack's defense stepped up again, forcing 21 turnovers from the Penmen, which turned into 18 points. The Warriors totaled 14 fast break points after outscoring Stonehill by 15 in the fast break department on Tuesday
- The Warriors controlled the paint as well, winning that battle by a 16-point margin (36-20)
Up Next
Merrimack plays on the road on Wednesday out in Worcester, facing Assumption in a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.
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