PURCHASE, N.Y. (Nov. 26, 2024) – Four players reached double-figures and a game-opening 23-0 run set the tone as the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy women's basketball team rolled past Purchase, 82-39. USMMA improved to 4-1 (3-0 Skyline), while Purchase dropped to 1-5 (0-2 Skyline).
 
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• Box Score 

Freshman Carolae Barton (Waldorf, Md.) went 7-of-8 from the floor and finished with a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double in just 17 minutes of action to pace the Mariners. Sophomore Emily Grasseler (Millbrook, N.Y.) added a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double in 18 minutes. Junior Hannah Ramsden (Port Aransas, Texas) added 14 points, while senior Grace Jackson (Parma, Idaho) scored 10. USMMA shot 47.1 percent (33-of-70) from the floor and finished +30 (52-22) on the glass, while also posting a 25-4 edge in points off turnovers.
 
Carlye Graff made 4-of-6 3-pointers to lead Purchase with a game-high 19 points. The Panthers shot just 29.4 percent (15-of-51) from the floor and committed 27 turnovers.
 
A Ramsden 3-pointer at the 7:41 mark quickly gave USMMA a 9-0 lead. After a Grasseler jumper, Ramsden followed with six-straight points to give the. Mariners a 17-0 advantage with 5:45 to play. Barton added consecutive layups before senior Kaira Winston (Chesterfield, Va.) made it 23-0 with a pair of free throws.
 
Purchase, meanwhile, committed eight turnovers and missed its first six shots before a jumper at the 3:10 mark made it 23-2. Grasseler answered with four-straight points and freshman Breanna Sommers (Casa Grande, Ariz.) added a 3-pointer before two more Winston free throws eventually capped an 11-4 run that gave the Mariners a 34-6 lead after one quarter.
 
The teams traded baskets three times to open the second quarter and USMMA still led by 28, 40-12, at the 6:01 mark. The margin was still 28 after a Purchase 3-pointer with 2:53 to play, but Grasseler made layups on consecutive possessions before sophomore Sydney Brown (Northville, Mich.) added a layup for a 54-20 lead at halftime.
 
Ramsden opened the third quarter with a quick 3-pointer and the Mariners stretched their lead to 41, 63-22, by the 7:44 mark. USMMA eventually opened a 42-point lead after a Sommers jumper with 1:30 to go, but a Purchase 3-pointer in the closing seconds made it 69-30 heading into the fourth.
 
Brown scored the first five points of the final quarter as USMMA pushed its lead back to 44, 74-30. A 3-pointer by sophomore Trinity Santasiero (Houston, Texas) with 1:57 remaining later made it 82-37 and gave the Mariners their largest lead of the contest.
 
The Mariners are off until Wednesday, Dec. 4, when they host Manhattanville for a 7 p.m. game.
 
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