Links: Box Score
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Merrimack College women's basketball team completed its season with a sweep of Sacred Heart University on Friday night, defeating the Pioneers for the second time in as many days, 64-57, at the William H. Pitt Center. The Warriors finished the year with a 5-10 Northeast Conference (NEC) record while Sacred Heart dropped to 8-8 in league action
With the score tied at 52-52 and only 3:33 to play, Merrimack ended the night on a 12-5 run to win the game. Sophomore
Jayme DeCesare hit consecutive field goals including converting a three-point play to give the Warriors the lead for good, while junior
Kate Mager went 6-of-6 at the line in the game's final minute to put the game away. The game was tied on seven different instances, and the lead changed hands five times.
DeCesare ended the year with her best shooting performance of the year, shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc for a team-high 16 points. Mager added 14 points of her own while senior
Mayson Kimball nearly posted a double-double with nine points and a season-best 11 rebounds. The Warriors controlled the glass, outrebounding the Pioneers 43-32, and were nearly immaculate at the free throw line by sinking 15-of-16 attempts.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 64, Sacred Heart 57
Records: Merrimack (5-10, 5-10 NEC) | Sacred Heart (8-10, 8-8 NEC)
Location: Fairfield, Conn. | William H. Pitt Center
The Visuals
Sophomore Jayme DeCesare hit this layup, sank a free throw and added another bucket down the stretch to help Merrimack defeat Sacred Heart.
Rapid Recap
- Sophomore Alana Fursman led the way in an impressive offensive quarter in the first for Merrimack. The Warriors put up 25 total points including eight by the second-year forward to hold a six-point lead, 25-19, after 10 minutes. Merrimack forced a Sacred Heart timeout just 1:53 into the game via a 12-4 start to the night. The Pioneers would trim their deficit to four points multiple times over the next few minutes, but never were able to make it a one-possession game. Senior Autumn Truesdale scored four points late in the quarter to keep the Warriors in front
- Merrimack increased its lead to eight points twice in the second quarter, including after DeCesare hit her third 3-pointer of the first half to make it 34-26 Warriors at the 4:17 mark of the second frame. The final four minutes belonged to Sacred Heart, however, as the hosts scored the quarter's final six points to trim Merrimack's advantage to two points (34-32) at the half
- The score was knotted at 38-all four minutes into the third quarter. At that point, Sacred Heart would hold Merrimack scoreless for a near five-minute period to build a 43-38 lead. That drought ended when Mager swished a left-wing 3-pointer, while Truesdale followed her on the next possession with a field goal from in close. The two buckets evened the contest up once more, 43-43, going to the fourth quarter
- It took until the 5:49 mark of the final frame for Merrimack to score, but the Warriors would need proceed to net 21 points over the remainder of the evening. Senior Alyssa Casey snapped the scoring drought, and Kimball followed with a lay-in to tie the game at 47. This started a trend of the team's trading baskets, with three ties occurring over the next two minutes. DeCesare's old-fashioned three-point play broke the last deadlock of the night, leaving the Warriors with a 56-52 advantage with 2:36 to play. Sacred Heart brought it to one possession, 56-54, but Merrimack outscored Sacred Heart down the stretch, 8-3, to secure the win
Notes and Numbers
- DeCesare tied her season high with six shots made and scored her second most points of the year (16)
- Fursman added 12 points to become the third Warrior to score in double figures. She started the night strongly, scoring eight of her 12 points in the opening quarter
- Casey finished the night with four points, leaving her career scoring total at 984 points entering next year. The Andover, Mass. native is within reach of becoming the 22nd 1,000-point scorer in program history
- Mager knocked down two 3-pointers, bringing her career total to 180. She needs 10 more triples to set a new program record for career 3-pointers made
- Merrimack hit its third most free throws (15) in a game this season. The Warriors also posted their second best free throw percentage (.938)
- Freshman Cassandra Hawthorne made her collegiate debut in the second quarter
