Links: Box Score
Postgame Reaction: Monique LeBlanc //
Denia Davis-Stewart
AMHERST, MASS. – Behind a 31-point, 13-rebound and 12-block triple-double for senior forward
Denia Davis-Stewart and a 22-point performance for sophomore
Kate Mager featuring six 3-pointers, the Merrimack College women's basketball team went on the road and defeated UMass, 79-64, in the Warriors' inaugural game as a Division I program
The victory provided Merrimack the first win of its Division I era, accomplishing the feat in its season opener. The Warriors never trailed after the opening two-plus minutes against the Minutewomen at the Mullins Center, dominating for most of the afternoon. Merrimack's effort was aided by 14 3-pointers made as a team, shooting over 50 percent as a unit from beyond the arc
Davis-Stewart's Division I debut was particularly notable; the fourth-year center posted her first career triple-double that included career highs in both scoring (31) and blocked shots (12). She posted the most blocked shots in a game by a Northeast Conference (NEC) student-athlete in five years, and was tied for the third most rejections in a single game by any Division I athlete since the 2014-15 campaign. Her triple-double was the first for the program since Tia Scott '16 in 2016.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 79 , UMass 64
Records: Merrimack (1-0) | UMass (0-1)
Location: Mullins Center | Amherst, Mass.
Rapid Recap
- Merrimack came out of the gate firing and went on an 11-7 run which included two threes by sophomore Kate Mager and one by senior Emily Houle. With the score at 13-12, Merrimack ended the first quarter on a 9-4 run that delivered the Warriors a 22-16 lead entering the second frame
- UMass crept within two, 22-20, but Merrimack ripped off six straight to extend its lead to eight, 28-20, with 7:11 until halftime following a triple by Mager. The Minutewomen chipped away to pull within four, 34-30, with under four minutes until halftime, but another Mager trey quelled the run. Merrimack took a 39-32 advantage into the locker room
- After a nine-block first half that featured seven points, Davis-Stewart went off in the third quarter. The Dorchester, Mass. native scored Merrimack's first 15 points in the third quarter, outscoring UMass by herself, 15-6, to build a 54-38 lead. She was 5-for-5 during the stretch with a pair of 3-pointers. Merrimack's lead never dipped below 13 for the remainder of the quarter, holding a 63-50 edge entering the final 10 minutes
- The hosts came out strong in the fourth quarter, cutting Merrimack's advantage to six, 65-59, with under eight minutes left. Davis-Stewart came through, hitting another triple that built the lead back to nine. With under five minutes to play, the Warriors built their lead back into double figures with junior Alyssa Casey providing a 3-pointer late that was the exclamation point
Notes and Numbers
- Davis-Stewart had Merrimack College's first triple-double at Merrimack since Tina Scott in the 2015-16 season.
- The center's 12 rejections would've been the third most across all of Division I last year; 12 blocks is also tied for the third most in a single across the last five seasons
- It was a career performance for Davis-Stewart, who posted career highs in the following statistics: points (31), blocks (12) and 3-point field goals made (4)
- Not to be overshadowed, Mager finished with a career best in scoring as well (22) and tied her career best in triples with six makes
- Merrimack's 3-point shooting was the difference; the Warriors shot over 50 percent from deep for just the second time in the last 31 games
- Graduate student Courtney Clasen along with freshmen Jayme DeCesare, Diamond Christian and Alana Fursman all made their team debuts. Clasen and DeCesare both impressed and earned starts; the former played 38 minutes and posted nine points, seven rebounds and a team-high six assists while the latter started at point guard and did not turn the ball over in 29 minutes of action
Up Next
The Warriors host Lehigh University for the first time in school history this Saturday, welcoming the Mountain Hawks for the program's first-ever Division I game on campus. Tip-off from Hammel Court is set for 1 p.m.
