Feb 24, 2009
Women’s Hoops Edged by New Haven 58-56; Head to #5 Pace in NE-10 Tournament
NORTH ANDOVER, MA – In a battle for 11th place, the
Merrimack women’s basketball team saw its two-game winning
streak snapped Tuesday by New Haven, 58-56, at the Volpe Gym.
The Warriors conclude the regular season 9-18 overall, 8-14 in the
Northeast-10 and will be the 12th seed in the Northeast-10
Tournament with first round action beginning Sunday afternoon on
the road against the fifth-ranked Pace University.
The Chargers took the early 11-2 lead, but Merrimack’s
defense took over from there, limiting the visitors to just one
basket in the next 23 possessions. The Warriors struggled
offensively at the same time, however, as the two teams combined
for 29 first-half turnovers. Merrimack led 14-13 with 8:10
remaining in the first half but closed the half with a 9-2 run to
grab a 31-27 halftime lead behind three late baskets from
Ashley Metal (Thurmont, MD). Metal led the
Warriors with a career-high nine first-half points, while
Amanda Shannon (North Andover, MA) tallied five
assists.
The Warriors led 54-51 with 2:30 to play, but back-to-back
three-pointers from Briiana Rende gave New Haven the 57-54 lead.
Merrimack had its chances late to come back but three late
turnovers, including a five-second call, doomed the Warriors. The
Chargers made just one of four free throws down the stretch giving
Merrimack the last shot with 2.4 seconds remaining, but the
inbounds pass down court was broken up.
Casey Miller (Fairbanks, AK) was the lone Warrior
in double-figures with 11 points. Shannon added nine points to go
with eight assists, while Hannah DeGraffinreed (Raleigh,
NC) and Metal finished with nine each.
Merrimack shot 40.7% overall but committed 25 turnovers.
Lauren Hood led all scorers with 26 points on 11-of-23 shooting in
34 minutes. Rende (11 points) and Nikki Carroll (10 points) were
also in double figures for the Chargers who committed 22 turnovers
and shot 34.8% from the field.
With the win, New Haven earns the 11th seed in the Northeast-10
Tournament and will face the sixth seed Sunday in the first round
of the NE-10 Tournament.
