NORTH ANDOVER, MA - Merrimack College womens basketball hosts Niagara in their final game of the regular season this Saturday at 12 p.m. noon.
The team looks forward to celebrating three graduating players on Saturday...
Claudia Gallegos
Lydia Melaschenko
Se'lah Reddick
#CLINCHED
The Warriors are heading to Atlantic City in March after officially clinching the three seed last week. The Warriors will face the #6 seeded team on Saturday, March 7th, at 2:30 p.m. Over the past 18 games, the Warriors have been victorious in 14, holding opponents to under 60 points in ten of them. The Warriors were winners in their Thursday game against Canisius. Oralye Kiefer scored a career high 23 points in the win over Canisius on Thursday to get the Warriors back in the win column. Last week, it was Madison Roman who paved the way for the Warriors to win their fifth straight game (ended on Saturday against Manhattan) and complete the season sweep against the Sacred Heart Pioneers.Over the weekend prior, the Warriors took down Siena by 19 in a total team effort. Four Warriors scoring in double-digits, with Lydia Melaschenko leading the pack with 22. Last Thursday, the Warriors used a 4th quarter buzzer beater to force overtime, where they eventually emerged winners against Marist. The win marked their 4th season sweep of the season. The Warriors held Rider to under 40 two weeks ago, a feat that the Warriors have only achieved twice in the past two seasons. Senior Lydia Melaschenko broke the single-season program record for 3-pointers (77) with a three pointer in the 3rd quarter.
Who to Watch
Not only does Lydia Melaschenko lead the MAAC in 3-pointers per game, she is sixth in THE NATION in 3-pointers per game, averaging 3.07 per game. Lydia hit four against Siena (22 pts) on Valentines Day, and four against Rider two weeks ago to break the single-season program record for 3-pointers. Melaschenko has hit 37 3's (3.5 per game) over the past eleven games.
The MAAC's leading rebounder Madison Roman had nine in a big win over Canisius on Thursday. She came one point shy of a career high with 25 .Roman had 10 rebounds and 17 points against Manhattan on Saturday. It was her 16th double-double of the season. She tallied nine rebounds in a come-from-behind victory over Sacred Heart last Thursday. She totaled a career high six steals in a full 40 minutes of play.
Paloma Power!
Junior guard Paloma Garcia tallied a program record for steals in a game with nine in the teams win over Canisius on Thursday. She has scored in double figures in five straight games and eight of her last nine. Over the nine game span, she has posted five or more rebounds in six of them.
Defending Like Warriors
The Warriors have allowed under 60 points in 12 of their last 18 games and under 70 in 15 of their last 17 games. Madison Roman leads the conference in defensive rebounds with 212 and Paloma Garcia is third in the MAAC in steals with 72. The team leads the MAAC in blocks with 112.
