Links: Box Score
Video: Highlights
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's basketball team met first-place Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday afternoon at Hammel Court in the first of two games between the Mountaineers and Warriors on campus this week. The visitors won the first round, 79-65, to improve 11-2 in Northeast Conference (NEC) play while Merrimack dropped to 3-9 in league play
The hosts were within seven, 46-39, two minutes into the third quarter only to see the high-powered Mountaineers use a 16-3 run to create a deficit that proved to be insurmountable. The two-game set pitted the two-top NEC offenses against each other entering the week, with Merrimack at No. 2 in points per game and Mount St. Mary's at No. 1.
The Basics
Score: Mount St. Mary's 79,
Merrimack 65
Records: Merrimack (3-9, 3-9 NEC) | Mount St. Mary's (12-4, 11-2 NEC)
Location: North Andover, Mass. | Hammel Court
Rapid Recap
- The Mount started the game on a 9-0 run, but Merrimack recovered as the first quarter progressed. Trailing 22-12 with 2:27 left on the clock, the Warriors ended the frame on a 10-3 run. Sophomore Jayme DeCesare started the stretch with an old-fashioned three-point play while senior Mayson Kimball knocked down consecutive jumpers to highlight the run. The Warriors trailed, 25-22, after 10 minutes
- Just like the first, the Mountaineers started the second quarter strongly, scoring the first 11 points to take a 36-22 edge. Their lead grew to as many as 16 points, 42-26, with four minutes until halftime, but another quarter-closing run got Merrimack back into the contest. The Warriors scored eight of the half's final nine points – holding Mount St. Mary's to one point in a four-minute stretch – to climb within nine, 43-34, at intermission. DeCesare and junior Kate Mager each hit 3-pointers to end the half
- Sophomore Alana Fursman hit a triple to start the third quarter to make it a six-point game (43-37). A 21-5 run for the visitors played out from there, however, leaving the Mountaineers with a 64-42 advantage with under three minutes to go until the fourth quarter. The margin remained at 22 points (69-47) through 30 minutes
- Merrimack played its best defensively in the final 10 minutes, holding the Mount to 10 points in the quarter. Kimball scored seven straight points to bring a 21-point deficit down to 14, 77-63, at the 2:12 mark. The Warriors' senior had Merrimack's final nine points of the game
Notes and Numbers
- Mount shot the ball well, hitting 51 percent from the field (30-59) and 48 percent from beyond the arc (13-27)
- The visitors also boasted a 38-29 edge on the glass, with two players pulling down at least 10 boards
- Five Mountaineers scored in double figures compared to three for Merrimack
- Kimball continued her hot stretch with a 17-point effort. She entered Wednesday averaging 18.2 points per game on 46 percent shooting. She's scored in double figures in four straight games and in six of her last seven overall
- DeCesare added another strong effort with 10 points, eight rebounds and six assists. She has at least 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists in three of her last four games
Up Next
Merrimack faces Mount St. Mary's one more time tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m.
