PLEASANTVILLE, NY – The Merrimack women’s basketball
team played with Pace for most of the game, but the Setters scored
10 of the final 12 points to edge the Warriors 72-64 Saturday
afternoon.
The Warriors remain in 12th place in the Northeast-10, leading
UMass Lowell by one game for the final playoff position after the
River Hawks lost to Assumption 59-53 Saturday. Merrimack (7-17,
6-13 NE-10) is at Saint Rose Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. in its
final regular season road game before finishing the regular season
with home games against Southern Connecticut and New Haven.
In a game that saw virtually every team statistic identical, the
first half was a close battle with neither team leading by more
than seven points. The Setters took a 31-28 lead into the locker
room behind nine points from Lisa Welsome. Gennifer Roy
(Granby, MA) led the Warriors with nine points and four
boards, while Amanda Shannon (North Andover, MA)
added eight points, four boards, two steals and two assists.
The Warriors used a 12-3 run early in the second half capped off
with a three from Shannon to grab its first lead, at 42-41, since
they led 20-19 midway through the first. But the Setters responded
immediately, regaining the lead after Taylor Losey hit a lay-up,
was fouled, and hit the free throw for the three-point play to
extend Pace’s lead to 48-44.
The game remained close from there as Roy sank a three to tie the
game at 62 with 2:49 remaining. But Laura Mooney responded with a
three of her own with 1:08 left, regaining a lead for the Setters
that they would not relinquish. The Warriors had their chances to
even the score, but Roy and Hannah DeGraffinreed (Raleigh,
NC) each missed lay-ups, and Pace put the game away with
five consecutive free throws from Brittany Huggins.
Shannon and Roy each tallied 19 points, while Casey Miller
(Fairbanks, AK) added 17 in her return to the starting
lineup. DeGraffinreed was in double figures in rebounds again with
11 and chipped in with seven points.
Huggins posted a double-double on 23 points (10-for-11 from the
free-throw line) and 11 rebounds in just 28 minutes, while Losey
tallied 19 points.
Both teams committed 12 turnovers and 16 fouls, while Pace
narrowly had the rebounding edge at 41-40. Merrimack shot 35% from
the field, to 42% for the Setters.