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Video: Highlights //
Werner Postgame Comments
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Behind an offensive onslaught that saw the Merrimack College women's basketball program score its most points in a game in two decades, the Warriors topped visiting Georgian Court University, 94-64, on Friday evening in the program's season opener at Hammel Court. The contest marked the first day of the Merrimack Conference Challenge, which sees the Warriors host the Lions, Concordia College and Bentley University in an on-campus tournament this weekend.
Senior captain
Karlee Alves set a program record with 15 assists, facilitating an offense that saw four of five starters score in double figures led by a game-high 28 points on 10-of-20 shooting from fellow senior captain
Lindsay Werner. The Warriors forced the Lions into 27 turnovers, leading to a 25-11 advantage in points-off-turnovers.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 94, Georgian Court 64
Records: Merrimack (1-0) | Georgian Court (0-1)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
Rapid Recap
- The Warriors turned a 14-9 lead into a 26-16 advantage by the end of the first quarter, outscoring the Lions, 12-7, over the final 4:16 of the frame. Werner hit her first three shots of the game including back-to-back triples after the visitors took an early 4-0 advantage
- The second quarter saw the Warriors the Lions by 12, the largest disparity of the game. The Warriors used a 19-4 stretch over the final 6:32 of the frame to break the contest open, taking a 51-29 lead to the locker room
- Georgian Court played its best in the third quarter, outscoring Merrimack by three (19-16) to trim its deficit to 19 entering the fourth
- The Warriors never saw their lead dip below 20 after the 8:46 mark of the final frame. Junior Emily Houle scored a bucket with 2:21 remaining to bring the advantage to 30 for the first time; the bucket also happening to be Alves' record-breaking helper
Notes and Numbers
- Friday's output marked the highest scoring game under the eight-year tenure of head coach Monique LeBlanc. It registered as the fourth time in the last eight years that the Warriors scored at least 90 points. The last time Merrimack scored at least 94 was in 1998-99, when the Warriors put up 95 in a win over Bentley
- Sophomore Alyssa Casey – the reigning Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Year – picked up right where she left off with a near double-double of 17 points and nine boards. Classmate Mayson Kimball added 12 points of her own
- Junior Denia Davis-Stewart filled up the stat sheet with 14 points, seven caroms and a game-high six blocked shots
- Alves' 15 dimes marked a new career high, and broke a program record that stood since the 1995 campaign for Keri Guertin. The Ellington, Conn. native added eight points and a game-high six steals
- Werner totaled 22 of her 28 points in the opening half, appearing to be on her well to threaten the program's single-game scoring record of 36 points
- Freshmen Kate Mager and Caroline Wilson made their program debuts on Friday night. The former scored six points in over 21 minutes off the bench. Senior Lexi Martin also took the floor after missing all of last season due to injury
Up Next
Merrimack returns to Hammel Court on Saturday when the Warriors host Concordia (N.Y.) College at 5 p.m. to conclude its play in the Merrimack Conference Challenge.
