NEW HAVEN, CT. – Led by 20 points from senior captain
Amanda Shannon (North Andover, MA), the Merrimack
women’s basketball team won its second straight game for the
first time this season with a 66-62 win over Southern Connecticut
State Saturday afternoon.
Merrimack actually trailed 62-57, following an 11-2 run from the
Owls, but scored the final nine points of the game with Shannon
involved in all four Warriors’ baskets.
With 2:32 remaining, Shannon nailed a three, her second of the
game to cut the deficit to two. After a missed jumper by the Owls,
Casey Miller (Fairbanks, AK) tied the game at 62
off a pass from Shannon. After an Owl turnover, Shannon found
Hannah DeGraffinreed (Raleigh, NC), who drilled a
jump shot with 1:08 remaining, giving Merrimack the lead. Seconds
later, DeGraffinreed stole the ball from Logan Lentz and sank
another jumper, with Shannon getting the assist. The Warrior
defense held on from there as Merrimack escaped with the four-point
victory.
The game was a closely-contested affair, with neither team leading
by more than eight points.
In addition to her 20 points, Shannon tallied four boards, four
assists and four steals. DeGraffinreed tallied 13 points and eight
boards and blocked two shots. Miller added 13 off the bench on
6-of-9 shooting in 17 minutes, while Gennifer Roy (Granby,
MA) totaled 12 points and was 2-for-2 from behind the arc.
The Warriors shot 51% from the field and 42% from three-point range
while forcing 19 Owl turnovers.
Southern Connecticut was led by Jacqueline Jacques (25 points) and
Lentz (22 points).
Merrimack (5-10, 4-6 NE-10) goes for its third straight win on
Tuesday when they return home to open a three-game home stand
against the College of Saint Rose at 5:30 p.m. at the Volpe Gym.