Links: Box Score

LAKEWOOD, N.J. – Three members of the Merrimack College women's basketball program scored in double figures as the Warriors led coast-to-coast in the Navy and Gold's season-opening 78-60 victory on Saturday evening at Georgian Court. The Warriors will play their second and final game of the GCU Invitational tomorrow afternoon against No. 25 Caldwell University at 1 p.m.

The Basics
Score: Merrimack 78, Georgian Court 60
Records: Merrimack (1-0) | Georgian Court (0-1)
Location: GCU Wellness Center | Lakewood, N.J.  

Marquee Moments:

• The Navy and Gold hit their first five shots of the day, flying out to a 12-2 lead in just 2:29 of game action in the first quarter
• The Warriors went on to score 50 points in the opening half, the first time the program has scored at least 50 over the first 20 minutes since the 2012-13 campaign
• The Warriors ended the first quarter on an 8-0 spurt to reach 30 for the quarter, highlighted by six points in the final minute via a three-point play for junior Lindsay Werner (Groton, Mass.) and a buzzer-beating corner trey for freshman Alyssa Casey (Andover, Mass.)

Rapid Recap

• Werner led the first-quarter offensive barrage with 13 of the Warriors' 30 points. She opened the game with back-to-back triples over the Warriors' second and third possessions
• The duo of Casey and Werner combined for Merrimack's first seven second-quarter points, while freshman Marissa Gattuso (Woburn, Mass.) notched the final four points of the stanza to get the squad to the half-century mark
• Defensively, the Navy and Gold's press forced the Lions into 15 first-half turnovers and just nine points in the second quarter. Merrimack forced GCU into 21 missed shots, including just 1-of-11 from beyond the arc over the first 20 minutes
• The Warriors' lead jumped to 30 for the first time at the start of the third quarter. Casey and junior guard Karlee Alves (Ellington, Conn.) combined to net 10 of Merrimack's first 13 points in the quarter
• Five different Warriors recorded points in the final quarter, including a team-high five from freshman Mayson Kimball (Webster, N.H.)

Notes and Notables

• Werner's game high of 20 points marked her fourth career game with 20 or more. She shot 7-of-13 from the field including five three-pointers
• Casey got off to a stellar start in her first collegiate game, pouring in 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting and 2-of-6 from distance. Kimball also finished in double figures with 12 points, with the Warriors' trio of freshmen netted 38 of the Warriors' 78 total points
• Alves filled up the stat sheet, headlined by a career-high 10 rebounds. She added a career-high tying six assists, five points and two steals
• Merrimack recorded 13 steals as a team, led by a career-high four thefts for sophomore guard Giulia Orlando (Haverhill, Mass.). The Navy and Gold outscored the Lions, 27-9, in points off turnovers, forcing 23 GCU miscues

Up Next
Merrimack returns to Georgian Court's campus tomorrow afternoon to face #25 Caldwell University at 1 p.m.