KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Dec. 17, 2025) - The U.S. Merchant Marine women's basketball team rolled to its fourth straight victory to close out 2025 with a dominant 78-35 over Yeshiva on Wednesday night in Skyline Conference action. The Mariners improve to 9-3 (6-1 Skyline) with the win, while the loss drops the Maccabees to 1-9 (0-6 Skyline).
Game Links
Four players scored in double figures on the evening. Senior Hannah Ramsden (Port Aransas, Texas) led all scorers with a game-high 15 points. Sophomores Carolae Barton (Waldorf, Md.) and junior Emily Grasseler (Millbrook, N.Y.) chipped in with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Senior Cevyn Crutcher (Huntsville, Ala.) and freshman Lilly Smeltzer (Bel Air, Md.) both posted career highs with 10 and nine points. Crutcher, Barton, and Smeltzer each hauled down a game-best nine rebounds. Barton turned away a game-high three shots, while Crutcher recorded a game-high three steals.
Merchant Marine finished the game shooting 42.5 percent from the floor (31-of-73) while holding Yeshiva to 25.9 percent shooting (14-of-54). The Mariners dominated the glass 59–25, including a 23–5 edge on the offensive boards, and posted advantages in key defensive categories with 12 steals and seven blocks.
The Blue and Gray seized control from the opening minutes, scoring the first seven points and forcing early turnovers to set the tone. Crutcher opened the scoring with a layup to make it 2–0, and Grasseler followed with a fast-break finish to push the lead to 4–0. After a brief response, freshman Jaden Lodice (Littleton, Colo.) converted in transition to make it 7–2, and Barton added a put-back to extend the margin to 9–2. The Mariners continued to dominate inside, with Barton scoring again in the paint and sophomore Breanna Sommers (Casa Grande, Ariz.) finishing on an interior feed to cap an early run that pushed the lead to 13–2. USMMA added points at the line, and another Grasseler finish late in the period to close the first quarter firmly in control, 27–3.
Merchant Marine carried that momentum into the second quarter, opening with a layup from Smeltzer to make it 29–5. Ramsden pushed the lead to 31–5 with a fast-break finish, and after a brief response, Barton answered inside to restore separation at 33–8. Ramsden continued the run with consecutive paint baskets to make it 35–11, and Crutcher converted two free throws and later finished at the rim to extend the margin to 41–13. Yeshiva connected from deep to slow the surge, but Ramsden answered with a three-pointer to push the lead to 44–16. Sommers added a layup late, and Ramsden closed the half at the line as the hosts took a commanding 48–23 advantage into halftime.
USMMA opened the third quarter by continuing to attack the paint, as Sommers knocked down a jumper to make it 50–23. Barton followed with a layup to push the margin to 52–25, and Grasseler added another interior finish to extend the lead to 54–25. Ramsden connected again from mid-range to make it 56–25, and after a brief perimeter response, Grasseler answered inside to restore a 30-point cushion at 58–28, and Ramsden finished a fast-break layup late as Merchant Marine carried a 61–31 lead into the fourth.
The hosts maintained complete control in the final period, opening with two free throws from Smeltzer to make it 63–31 before she followed with consecutive layups to extend the margin to 67–33. Freshman Tatum Carney (Fairfax, Va.) knocked down a jumper to push the lead to 69–33, and Crutcher finished in the paint moments later to make it 71–33. Down the stretch, Carney added another layup to extend the advantage to 74–35, and freshman Natalie Doan (Mount Dora, Fla.) capped a fast-break sequence to make it 76–35. Crutcher sealed the outcome with a late jumper as Merchant Marine pulled away for a 78–35 victory, outscoring Yeshiva 17–4 in the fourth quarter.
Naomi Sigman led Yeshiva offensively with nine points while Fortune Hanan and Ilana Schwartz contributed eight points apiece.
The Blue and Gray return to the hardwood in the New Year on Tuesday, Jan. 6, against St. Joseph's-Long Island at 7 p.m.
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