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Video: Highlights //
Lindsay Werner Interview
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Looking to close out the calendar year on a high note, the Merrimack College women's basketball program did just that via an 82-70 victory over visiting Saint Thomas Aquinas in non-league action Wednesday at Hammel Court. The Spartans entered the contest undefeated against regional opponents, with Merrimack handing the defending East Coast Conference champions its first in-region loss of the season and second defeat overall.
Senior captains
Karlee Alves and
Lindsay Werner headlined the effort. The former posted her second double-double of the year with 15 points and 11 assists, while the latter poured in an efficient 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting including a pivotal 3-pointer with 1:45 left in the fourth quarter that turned a 70-68 edge into a 73-68 lead late in the game.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 82, Saint Thomas Aquinas 70
Records: Merrimack (7-5) | Saint Thomas Aquinas (9-2)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
Rapid Recap
- Merrimack hit 8-of-10 from the field including six 3-pointers in a torrid starter to the quarter. The Warriors led, 22-11, after five minutes behind an offensive start that saw four different players hit triples including a 3-of-3 start to the night from Werner. The visiting Spartans recovered, however, holding Merrimack scoreless over the final 4:58 of the first. STAC ended the quarter on an 11-0 run to tie the game, 22-22, after 10 minutes
- A quick 5-0 burst gave Merrimack the lead back, 27-24, early in the second quarter. The next five minutes, however, saw the hosts use an 8-1 stretch to grab a 32-28 lead with 3:22 remaining. Merrimack answered back with another 5-0 stretch that gave the Warriors a one-point edge, but the visitors broke a 35-35 deadlock with a late trey to take a three-point lead into the break
- The Warriors started the third quarter on a 12-2 run to retake the lead, 47-40. Werner scored six points as part of the run while junior Denia Davis-Stewart added four. Merrimack's lead grew to as many as ten, 54-44, after a three-point play from Alves. The visitors wound up scoring six of the quarter's final nine points, but the hosts held a six-point lead (57-51) through three.
- Merrimack absorbed a 6-2 start for the Spartans in the final quarter, building its lead back to six (65-59) following a bucket from Davis-Stewart. Ticking under the four-minute mark, sophomore Alyssa Casey forced a turnover that led to a fast-break lay-in for Alves, and created a 67-62 edge for the Warriors. STAC closed once more, making it a one-possession game with less than two minutes to go, but Werner's fifth and final triple of the night was followed by Alves' shot-clock beating jumper that iced the game, putting Merrimack ahead by seven (75-68)
Notes and Numbers
- Alves now has five games with at least 10 assists, three of which have come over her last four games. She scored in double figures for the third time this season, as well, shooting 5-of-10 from the field and making all five of her free-throw attempts
- Werner needed only 15 attempts to total 25 points, shooting over 50 percent from the field and over 60 percent (5-8) from 3-point range
- Casey (14) and Davis-Stewart (13) joined their senior teammates in double figures. The former set a career high with six assists while the latter added nine rebounds and a game-high four blocks
- Merrimack proved the potency of its offense with 22 points in less than five minutes to start the game. The Warriors finished the night with 21 assists on 28 field goals, the team's fifth game this season with at least 20 helpers
Up Next
Merrimack will not play until the New Year, which finds the Warriors play in three straight road games to kick start 2019. The Warriors begin that run on Wednesday, Jan. 2, when Merrimack faces Mercy on the road at 5:30 p.m.
