Box Score
 
KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Jan. 30, 2022) – It became "seventh heaven" for the USMMA women's basketball team on Sunday afternoon, as the Mariners completed the season sweep over the Mount Saint Vincent Dolphins with a 53-38 win at the Liebertz Gymnasium.
 
With their seventh-straight victory, Merchant Marine held on to the number two seed in the Skyline Conference standings. Mount Saint Vincent trailed the Mariners by only a half-game in the conference standings when the day began. Merchant Marine improved to 15-3 overall (11-3 Skyline), while the Dolphins fell to 11-4 overall (9-4 Skyline).
 
In what was nearly a carbon copy of the first meeting between the two clubs, the Mariners' dynamic defense shut down the shorthanded Dolphins. Mount Saint Vincent was without their leading scorer Amber Been, who averages 17 points per game this season.
 
Playing the role of road warrior, the Dolphins started strong with a 15-9 lead after the opening frame by closing the quarter on a 10-0 run. Merchant Marine roared back in the second quarter thanks to their swarming defense. The Mariners forced five Dolphins turnovers as Mount Saint Vincent shot 1-for-13 from the field in quarter number two. The Dolphins did not score for the final 9:22 of the first half. Merchant Marine ended the first half on a 10-0 run of their own and headed to the locker room up 21-17.
 
Great defense led to solid offense for the Mariners, who were led by freshman Grace Jackson (Parma, Idaho) with 13 points and chipped in eight rebounds. On the topic of rebounds, the play on the boards was the difference in the game. The Mariners won the rebound battle, 43-32, and capitalized on the offensive glass with 13 second chance points.
 
Of the 43 total team rebounds, senior Madison Reddick (Baker, Mont.) pulled down nearly one third of them with 13 to lead the club. Accompanied by seven boards from junior Madison Demos (Downers Grove, Ill.), Reddick and the Mariners were an unsolvable riddle for the Dolphins on the glass.
 
The Mariners' rebounding onslaught continued in the third quarter as they doubled up the Dolphins 12-6 on the boards. Demos' strong work in the interior led to a strong offensive output for the junior forward. Demos notched eight of her 10 points in the third quarter to aid the Mariners in taking a 36-28 advantage into the final frame.
 
As the Dolphins seeked to avenge their 45-42 defeat at the hands of Merchant Marine from Dec. 9, they remained caught in the swarm of the Mariners' defense. CMSV's offensive struggles were nearly identical to their first battle with the Mariners.
 
After shooting 16-for-65 from the field back in December, Mount Saint Vincent put up a 16-for-55 mark from the field at Liebertz Gymnasium. Holding the current three seed in the Skyline Conference to 32-for-120 from the field over two games shows how strong head coach Matt Dempsey's defense is and continues to become.
 
Merchant Marine put the icing on the cake in the fourth quarter by holding the Dolphins to 10 points (and 21 for the entire second half). Sophomore Bryanne Buchanan-Cummings (Dacula, Ga.) came off the bench to seal the deal by knocking home six of her eight points in the final four minutes.
 
It is a quick turnaround for the Mariners, who are back in action Tuesday night, Feb. 1, as they host the Bears of St. Joseph's-Brooklyn. Merchant Marine will seek to complete another season sweep after beating the Bears 80-58 in Brooklyn back on Dec. 7. The Mariners will look to earn their eighth-consecutive victory and sixth-straight win at Liebertz Gymnasium. Live stats and a live video feed of the game will be available with links on the USMMA Women's Basketball Schedule Page.
 
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