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Houle Interview
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Sophomore
Denia Davis-Stewart registered her second-straight double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds, while sophomore
Emily Houle came off the bench and ignited a 19-point fourth quarter for the Merrimack College women's basketball team that led to a 56-49 win for the Warriors over Southern New Hampshire. The win from Hammel Court on Saturday locked up a spot in the NE10 Championship for the Navy and Gold
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 56, SNHU 49
Records: Merrimack (14-9, 10-8 NE10) | SNHU (15-9, 11-7 NE10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
NE10 Postseason Outlook:
The top-five programs in the Northeast Division advance to the NE10 Championship. The fourth-place finisher hosts the No. 5 seed from the Southwest Division, while the fifth-place finisher travels to the No. 4 seed out of the Southwest for the First Round. Seeds No. 1-3 earn byes to the Quarterfinals. Merrimack has five games remaining in the regular season.
- Stonehill (21-2, 17-1)
- Bentley (20-3, 14-3)
- Saint Anselm (15-9, 11-6)
- SNHU (15-8, 11-7)
- Merrimack (14-9, 10-8)
- Saint Michael's (8-14, 5-12)
- Assumption (7-15, 4-13)
- Franklin Pierce (4-19, 1-17)
Marquee Moments:
- Entering the fourth quarter with two points in the game, Houle scored five points over the first two minutes of the fourth on back-to-back possessions. She turned a 38-37 third-quarter deficit into a 42-41 lead
- Davis-Stewart then took over, scoring seven of Merrimack's next nine points including a bucket at the 5:17 mark that created the game's seventh and final lead chance, putting the Navy and Gold ahead 47-45
Rapid Recap
- Facing a six-point deficit with less than two minutes left in the first, the Warriors ended the quarter on a 6-0 run. Reserve freshman Marissa Gattuso and sophomore Alyssa Torres scored the final two field goals of the stretch, cutting SNHU's lead to 13-11 at the end of the frame
- Merrimack pulled within one possession, 15-14, early in the second, but SNHU scored five straight to increase its lead to six with 6:28 until halftime
- The Warriors ended the second frame on a 13-5 stretch to take a 27-25 lead into halftime. Freshman Mayson Kimball went 3-of-3 from three-point range and finished the half with 11 points, while sophomore Denia Davis-Stewart scored all eight of her first-half points during the stretch
- Each team started the third quarter quietly, combining for 12 points over the first 6:30 of the third quarter. The score was squared, 32-32, with 3:30 left before Merrimack used a timeout. The Penmen scored the final four points of the frame to take a 38-37 lead to the fourth
- Houle connected on a midrange jumper followed by a straightaway triple, sparking Merrimack's highest scoring frame of the night. Davis-Stewart netted seven points in a span of four-plus minutes to put the Navy and Gold ahead for good, while junior Karlee Alves iced the game at the free-throw line late. She also collected a crucial steal with 36 seconds left, diving to the floor to snatch a loose ball away from SNHU with the Warriors clinging to a four-point lead
Notes and Notables
- The Warriors qualified for the postseason for the second consecutive season after finishing fifth in the division last year. The Navy and Gold now trail the Penmen by one game for fourth in the Northeast with three games remaining
- Davis-Stewart set a career high with 17 points, hitting a career-best eight field goals on 12 attempts. She tied her previous high in caroms (16), six of which came on the offensive glass. The center added six blocks
- Houle scored her most points in the last 14 games, continuing her strong sophomore year. The second-year guard has career highs in points, field goals, three-point field goals, rebounds and assists
- The 14 wins is tied for the second-most of head coach Monique LeBLanc's tenure. The seventh-year head coach has 88 career wins entering the final three regular season games
- Alves finished with a game-high six assists and a team-high three steals
Up Next
The Warriors head on the road to No. 22 and division-leading Stonehill for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off in Easton, Mass. on Wednesday night.
