BOX SCORE

When and Where: February 13, 2016 – No. Andover, Mass. (Hammel Court)
Score: Merrimack College 65, Southern New Hampshire University 55
Records: Merrimack 11-13 (7-11 Northeast-10), SNHU 13-11 (7-11 Northeast-10)

Freshman Brianna Camara (Fall River, Mass.) scored a career-high 18 points, but the Southern New Hampshire University women's basketball team dropped a 65-55 decision to Merrimack College on Saturday afternoon at Hammel Court.

Camara was 6 of 11 from the floor and 6 of 7 from the stripe, while tallying six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Sophomore Jennifer Shelp (Apalachin, N.Y.) added 14 points (6-13 FG, 2-2 FT) and four boards.

Tia Scott equaled Camara's performance with 18 points of her own to go with seven assists and five rebounds.

The opening seven-plus minutes featured three lead changes, a tie and no advantage greater than three points until an Ashley Weissmann bucket set off a 6-0 run that ended the first quarter with Merrimack leading 13-8.

The Warriors built a half-high seven-point lead (17-10) just over two minutes into the second stanza, but a jumper from Shelp, followed by a 3-pointer from fellow sophomore Catherine Stinson (Lynn, Mass.), trimmed the Southern New Hampshire deficit to 17-15 with 6:20 to go before the break.

Merrimack would grow the lead up to six and eventually led 25-20 with less than three minutes on the clock when three-point plays from junior Sara Ryan (Quincy, Mass.) and Camara would carry a 6-2 spurt that slashed SNHU's halftime deficit to just a single point at 27-26.

The Penmen knotted the game at 29-all on a Ryan trifecta just under two minutes into the third quarter, but Merrimack ripped off 10 straight points – with five different scorers contributing during the stretch – to grab a 39-29 lead midway through the stanza. A three-point play from Scott would nudge the lead to 13 (44-31) at the 1:47 mark, but Southern New Hampshire would end the quarter on a 5-0 run to pull within 46-38.

The Merrimack lead was back to an even 10 just under two minutes into the final frame when baskets by Shelp and senior Erin Doherty (Marshfield, Mass.) made it a six-point game at 52-46 with 6:21 remaining. A Doherty bucket nearly four minutes later pulled the Penmen to within 54-50, but 6-0 run put the hosts back up by 10 with 2:15 to go and Southern New Hampshire would never get closer than seven the rest of the way.

Doherty finished with seven points (2-4 FG, 3-4 FT) and four rebounds, while Ryan chipped in six points (2-5 FG, 1-2 3-FG, 1-1 FT) off the bench.

Notes:
-Merrimack outshot Southern New Hampshire, 44.3 percent (27-61) to 39.1 percent (18-45), while both teams made just two 3-pointers and shot under 30 percent from beyond the arc.
-SNHU made more free throws than Merrimack attempted as it went 17 of 22 (77.3%), compared to the Warriors' 9 of 15 (60%) performance.
-The Warriors won the glass (35-31) and the paint (36-20), while also holding an 18-9 advantage in points off turnovers, due in large part to a much better assist-to-turnover ratio (14/14 – 6/21).
-Camara topped her previous career best of 15, which she set at Southern Connecticut State University on Jan. 20.

Up Next:
The Penmen return to action Wednesday, Feb. 17 (5:30 p.m.) when they play host to Franklin Pierce University (13-10, 10-8 NE-10) at the Fieldhouse. Tickets can be purchased HERE or at the box office on the day of the game.

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