Fast Start Propels Women's Basketball to 64-54 Triumph over Pace Saturday
Links: Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's basketball team scored a season-high 40 points in the first half, propelling the Warriors to their third straight victory, 64-54, over the visiting Pace University Setters on Saturday afternoon in Northeast-10 Conference action. The victory brought Merrimack back to .500 at 7-7 overall, while the Setters fell to 8-8.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 64, Pace 54
Records: Merrimack (7-7, 5-4 NE10) | Pace (8-8, 2-6 NE10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
The Turning Point:
After Pace started the second-quarter scoring to pull within two, 19-17, the Warriors surged forward on a 19-3 run and never trailed over the remainder of the game. Six different Warriors scored during the stretch, while Merrimack made all three of its 3-point attempts. Merrimack made seven straight shots over a span of nearly four minutes, from the 8:30 mark to the 4:47 spot of the second frame.
How It Happened (First Quarter)
- Merrimack got off to a scorching start, shooting over 50 percent from the field in the opening 10 minutes. Beginning with a layup from senior My'Asia Alston (Cohoes, N.Y.), the Warriors hit four straight shots over a two-minute span that ended with a triple from sophomore Lindsay Werner (Groton, Mass.), giving the Warriors at 13-9 lead at the 3:39 mark
- After Pace pulled within one, 13-12, with under three minutes left in the quarter, the Navy and Gold scored six of the final eight points of the frame. Alston converted the final four points of the quarter, including a banked-in free-throw line jumper with seconds left
How It Happened (Second Quarter)
- Keyed by 3-pointers from sophomore Karlee Alves (Ellington, Conn.) and Alston, the Warriors started the quarter on a 10-1 run to build an 11-point lead, 29-18, with 6:49 left in the half
- A 9-0 spurt that featured four points from senior Savannah Johnson (Palmdale, Calif.) and a triple from sophomore Hannah Neild (Litchfield, N.H.) extended it to a 19-3 run overall. Merrimack held its largest lead at 18, 38-20, at the 3:15 of the quarter
- Freshman Denia Davis-Stewart (Dorchester, Mass.) hit a jumper with 1:59 remaining to give Merrimack a 40-point half, its highest output in the opening stanza all season. Pace scored the final four points of the quarter to make it a 40-29 game at intermission
How It Happened (Third Quarter)
- Unlike the first half, both offenses started slowly in the third quarter. One point was scored over the first 3:57 before back-to-back field goals from Neild of the Warriors and Kirsten Dodge of the Setters made it a 42-32 game with 5:50 to play in the third
- Alston netted Merrimack's final field goal of the half with 2:16 remaining, putting the Warriors in front by 10, 46-36. Defensively, the Navy and Gold limited the Setters to 1-of-4 shooting in the final two minutes, holding a 46-38 lead entering the fourth
How It Happened (Fourth Quarter)
- After Pace pulled within six points to start the quarter, Martin hit a straightaway three to increase the Warriors' lead to nine, 51-42, with 7:04 remaining. The shot started the 7-0 spurt up the 4:48 mark, when Jackie Dellisanti halted the run with a layup
- Merrimack's lead remained in double figures over the remainder of the game. Alston and Johnson – the Warriors' senior captain – each came up with big makes in the waning minutes. The former swished a stepback triple as the shot clock expired while the latter converted a three-point play with 90 seconds to play
Inside The Numbers
- Captains lead the way: Alston and Johnson finished as two of three Warriors to score in double figures, combing for 25 points. Johnson contributed seven rebounds, five assists and four steals, while Alston totaled a team-high six helpers to go along with three thefts
- For the second straight game, Martin lead the team in scoring. She totaled 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while pulling down eight rebounds for the second straight game. Her fourth-quarter 3-pointer marked just the second triple for the second-year wing this season
- Season Highs: Merrimack's 40 points were eight better than its previous season high over the first 20 minutes. As a team, the Navy and Gold collected 14 steals, tying their season high and reaching 14 for the second straight game. The Warriors assisted on 19 of 25 field goals, besting their previous season best in helpers
- 3-Point Defense: The Warriors held their opponents to just 23.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc, preventing the visitors from completing the comeback effort
- Dellisanti led the Setters and all scorers with 21 points, shooting 9-of-13 from the field
Up Next
The Navy and Gold hit the road for the first time in over a month on Wednesday when the Warriors travel to New Haven, Conn. to face Southern Connecticut State at 5:30 p.m.
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