KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Jan. 26, 2025) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy women's basketball team allowed just 12 points in the first half, rolling to a new program-record 15th-straight victory with a 66-39 triumph at home against Yeshiva on Sunday. The Mariners improved to 16-1 (13-0 Skyline), while the Maccabees fell to 2-14 (2-9 Skyline).
 
Game Links

• Box Score
• WATCH: Postgame Interview With Abby Stramski 

Senior Kaira Winston (Chesterfield, Va.) shot 7-of-12 from the floor and nailed her first career three-pointer to finish with a game-high 19 points, while sophomore Emily Grasseler (Millbrook, N.Y.) and freshman Breanna Sommers (Casa Grande, Ariz.) added 10 points apiece. The Mariners shot 40.3 percent (29-of-72) from the field and posted a +13 margin (45-32) on the glass. USMMA also forced 24 turnovers and benefitted from a 33-8 edge in points off turnovers.
 
Shai Rahamim scored 18 points to lead Yeshiva. The Maccabees shot 33.3 percent (16-of-48) from the floor, made just 4-of-22 3-pointers (18.2 percent) and were outscored 22-3 in the second quarter.
 
The Mariners led by just two, 9-7, at the 5:05 mark before Winston buried a 3-pointer and Sommers added a jumper to key an 11-2 run that closed out the quarter and gave USMMA a 20-9 lead.
 
USMMA took control in the second quarter as Yeshiva made just 1-of-9 field goals and committed 11 turnovers. The lone field goal for the Maccabees was a 3-pointer at the 8:09 mark that made it 24-12. Winston followed with a layup-and-one to open an 18-0 run that closed out the half. Senior Abby Stramski (Jones, Okla.) made a 3-pointer and freshman Carolae Barton (Waldorf, Md.) had six points during the spurt that gave the Mariners a 42-12 lead at halftime.
 
The Mariners made 7-of-12 field goals (58.3 percent) in the third quarter and led by as many as 34 points, but a pair of Yeshiva 3-pointers in the final minute made it 58-28 heading to the fourth.
 
USMMA pushed its lead back to 34 points, 64-30, at the 7:12 mark before a 9-0 rally by the Maccabees cut the lead to 25 with just 1:43 remaining.
 
The Mariners travel to rival Manhattanville this coming Tuesday, Jan. 28. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Valiants' Kennedy Gymnasium.
 
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