SMITHFIELD, RI – The Merrimack College women's basketball team was taken down by the Bryant University Bulldogs of Smithfield, RI in their season-opening game on the evening of November 4th.
The Basics
Score: Bryant 65,
Merrimack 50
Records: Bryant (1-0),
Merrimack (0-1)
Rapid Recap
Merrimack was hoping to grab a season opening win for the first time in the
Kelly Morrone era against a familiar foe in Bryant. Early on it would be back and forth scoring as it was knotted up at seven a piece. The Bulldogs would proceed to go on and score 13 of the final 17 points in the first quarter to come away with a 20-11 lead. In the second quarter the defense tightened up for the Warriors forcing a multitude of Bryant turnovers. On the offensive end it would be the
Thalia Shepard show. Shepard would score nine points with a host of nifty layups and dribbling moves. Merrimack would go into the half down 34-27.
In the third quarter offense would be hard to come by with the Warriors scoring just ten points and the Bulldogs adding to their halftime lead. Merrimack would go into the final frame trailing by double digits, 48-37. To start the fourth quarter
Thalia Shepard knocked down back to back three's to open it up and force a Bryant timeout. Out of the timeout the Bulldogs would go on a 15-2 run through the next seven minutes of play. By that point it would be too late to mount a comeback and MC would ultimately fall in their season opener for the fifth consecutive year.
Notes and Numbers
Up Next
Merrimack will travel to Pennsylvania to take on UPenn on Friday November 8
th at 2:00 PM.
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