BOX SCORE
RAPID REACTION WITH HEAD COACH KAREN PINKOS

When and Where: February 11, 2017 – Manchester, N.H. (SNHU Fieldhouse)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 74, Merrimack College 67
Records: SNHU 11-14 (6-12 Northeast-10), Merrimack 11-12 (9-9 Northeast-10)

Sophomore Brianna Camara (Fall River, Mass.) collected a career-high 21 points to lead four scorers in double figures as the Southern New Hampshire University women's basketball team defeated Merrimack College, 74-67, on Saturday afternoon at the SNHU Fieldhouse.

Camara shot 6 of 11 from the field, including 3 of 5 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 6 of 6 from the line, to go along with four rebounds and two assists. Senior Sara Ryan (Quincy, Mass.) tallied 14 points (5-10 FG, 1-4 3-FG, 3-4 FT), five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Freshman Victoria Dean (Plymouth, Mass.) netted 12 points (5-9 FG, 2-3 3-FG) and grabbed a pair of rebounds, while classmate Molly Terry (Shrewsbury, Mass.) added 10 points (4-5 FG, 2-2 3-FG) and two rebounds.

Lindsay Werner dropped a game-high 32 points for the Warriors.

After falling behind, 5-0, less than a minute in, Southern New Hampshire ripped off a 24-6 run that spanned nearly the entire quarter and gave it a 24-11 advantage with under a minute on the clock.  Camara led the way with six points on a pair of 3-pointers, while Ryan and Terry each connected on a triple en route to five points. Sophomore Aaliyah Paxton (Hainesport, N.J.) powered the early part of the stretch with four points. The Penmen would carry a 24-13 lead into the second quarter.

The SNHU lead was 12 at 31-19 near the midway point of the second frame when Merrimack closed the half with a 12-2 barrage that pulled it to within 33-31 at the break. Werner and Lexi Martin, who drilled a buzzer-beating 3 to close the scoring, each contributed five points during the stretch.

Merrimack would tie it 10 seconds into the second half on a Savannah Johnson layup, but a balanced 7-0 spurt that featured four different scorers opened a 40-33 advantage for the Penmen just over three minutes in and they would lead for good. An 8-2 counter-run from the Warriors sliced the deficit to one, but four points from freshman Amanda Kelly (Bethpage, N.Y.) powered an 11-2 run that was capped by Terry's buzzer-beating 3-pointer and stretched the Southern New Hampshire lead to 53-43 heading to the final quarter.

Five straight points from Dean helped the Penmen match their largest lead of the day at 58-45 with 6:50 to play, but a 10-2 rush – powered by eight points from Werner – slashed the Merrimack deficit to 60-55 with 3:19 on the clock. That was as close as they would get, however, as a Dean triple triggered a 7-2 spurt that extended the SNHU lead to an even 10 with 1:12 left and the Warriors would never inch closer than seven as the Penmen went 7-for-8 from the line down the stretch.

Paxton posted five points (2-7 FG, 1-2 FT) and eight boards, with fellow sophomore Kylie Lorenzen (Holliston, Mass.) registering four points (1-5 FG, 2-2 FT) and five rebounds in just 18 minutes due to foul trouble. Kelly also chimed in with four points (2-3 FG) and two rebounds, while junior Jennifer Shelp (Apalachin, N.Y.) chipped in four points (2-6 FG).

Notes:
-Camara surpassed her previous career high of 18 points, which she scored at Merrimack on Dec. 18.
-Southern New Hampshire outshot Merrimack, 45.8 percent (27-59) to 39.1 percent (25-64), including a season-high 57.1 percent (8-14) to 41.2 percent (7-17) from beyond the arc and 53.3 percent (8-15) to 29.4 percent (5-17) in the third quarter.
-SNHU made more free throws than Merrimack attempted, but were outshot, 90.9 percent (10-11) to 75 percent (12-16).
-The Penmen turned in a more impressive assist-to-turnover ratio (12/8-13/11) as they turned the ball over a season-low eight times, while both the glass (37-37) and paint (24-24) were even.
-Southern New Hampshire held its 12th annual Pink Day, which raises money for Catholic Medical Center's Breast Care Center. CMC's Surgical Director of Breast Health, Dr. Connie Campbell, served as an honorary member of the Penmen starting lineup in the pre-game.

Up Next:
The Penmen return to action Wednesday, Feb. 15 (5:30 p.m.) when they take on in-state rival Franklin Pierce University. The next home game for SNHU is Saturday, Feb. 18 (1:30 p.m.) when it plays host to Stonehill College on Senior Day at the Fieldhouse.

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