NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College Women's Basketball team battled against Mount St. Mary's in an intense affair from Hammel Court on Thursday night. In a packed gym, the atmosphere was intense from the opening tip off, but in the end the Warriors eventually fell to the Mountaineers by a score of 68-58.
The Warriors were led by junior,
Jayme DeCesare, who was the leader on and off the court tonight. Off the floor she was keeping her teammates engaged and on off the court she had eight points, six rebounds, five assists, as well as two steals. Sophomore,
Teneisia Brown, put up numbers yet again for Merrimack as she capped off this contest with eight points and nine rebounds. Leading the way scoring wise though, was senior,
Kate Mager, who had a team high nine points to go along with four rebounds.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 58, Mount St. Mary's 68
Records: Merrimack (6-12, 4-6 NEC) | Mount St. Mary's (8-10, 6-5 NEC)
Location: North Andover, Mass.
Rapid Recap
- The Warriors fed off of the loud crowd to start this one as the Warriors got off to a fast start going up 6-0 within the first two minutes of the game. Merrimack opened the scoring with a textbook play by Brown and then after getting a stop, graduate student, Paige McCormick, got to work. The Heuvelton, NY native took the ball on the following possession and drove to the lane, where she then spun off her defender and laid the ball up and in for two. After a bit of a push back from the Mount, McCormick got the Warriors back on track as she pulled up after a great pass from Mager and nailed the mid-range jumper. After seeing her classmate start to get going, graduate student, Mayson Kimball, figured she'd get in on the fun. The Webster, N.H. native got a basket on the offensive end and then turned it up on the defensive side as she drew a defender towards the hoop and then blocked the shot attempt to cause the turnover. After a quick transition, DeCesare dished a pass up on a platter for Kimball who buried the shot from beyond the arch. To close out the quarter, junior, Diamond Christian, got the crowd on their feet with a strong play at the basket. She got the ball at the top of the key and drove to the paint hard where she drew a foul and threw up a lay up which fell for the and one play.
- The second frame was opened up with a Mountaineer bucket, but then the Warriors brought things right back. Freshman, Ava Owens, dribbled her way off of a defender, took the space she created, and found a route to the hoop for the lay in. Mager then got back into the fray offensively as she made some moves to grow closer to the basket and then pulled up right in front of her defender to nail the shot. The game then slowed down and both teams found a way to get to the foul line, but action picked back up for the Warriors when Mager got the ball looking for a shot. When there was none to be had, she then floated a pass to senior, Carla Balague, who made no mistake getting two more points for Merrimack. To close out the half the Warriors drew up the same play for Balague, but this time around junior, Kaylee Thomas, brought the ball up and delivered a pass to the Barcelona, Spain native to have the Warriors feeling good going into the locker room.
- The Mountaineers held a 12-point lead going into the third quarter which meant it was comeback time for the Warriors. Merrimack got out to just the start they hoped for in the third quarter as Brown got the Warriors going. The sophomore got the ball and made a textbook post move, but couldn't quite finish the scoring chance. She then got her own rebound, made a ball fake, and then got it to fall to ignite the crowd. After a stop on defense, and another Brown bucket, Mager found the ball on the offensive side of the floor yet again. She drove the lane, made a ball fake which made her defender jump past her and it was nothing but net from there. With just under five minutes to go the Warriors made a great team play in transition. After a miss by the Mountaineers, Brown retrieved the rebound and passed it off to DeCesare. The Johnston, R.I. native then chucked a pass all the way up the floor to a streaking Mager who laid it off the glass and in causing a timeout from the Mountaineers. Coming out of the timeout the Merrimack got another big stop and on the opposite side Brown made a move in the post and while getting fouled hit a big shot to bring the Warriors to within six points.
- In the fourth quarter, Merrimack was still in amidst their comeback as the frame started with another defensive stand and then a fast break layup for Thomas. Then after two Mountaineer free throws, Thomas got the ball again on the offensive side from a pass from DeCesare and nailed a three to keep the Warriors in it. Unfortunately, it was too little too late for Merrimack as time ran out on the comeback, as they fell 68-58.
Up Next
Merrimack has a quick turnaround as they will take the court again this Saturday, February 5
th at 1:00 PM against the Sacred Heart Pioneers.
--
For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.
