KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Jan. 5, 2025) – Sophomore
Emily Grasseler (Millbrook, N.Y.) and freshman
Carolae Barton (Waldorf, Md.) each recorded double-doubles as the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy women's basketball team used a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to pull away and defeat Hunter, 53-44. USMMA improved to 9-1, while Hunter fell to 6-4.
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Grasseler finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Barton added 12 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Mariners. Senior
Grace Jackson (Parma, Idaho) contributed 11 points and eight rebounds. The Mariners shot just 27.1 percent (19-of-70) from the floor, but posted a +22 margin (51-29) on the glass and added a 12-2 edge in second chance points.
Alexa Charles scored a team-high 13 points to lead Hunter, which shot 30.4 percent (17-of-56) from the floor and made just 3-of-26 3-pointers (11.5 percent).
USMMA led, 5-4, before Ramsden buried a 3-pointer to cap a 7-0 spurt that gave the Mariners a 12-4 advantage at the 3:19 mark. The Mariners eventually opened a nine-point lead, 14-5, but the Hawks made a pair of 3s to make it a 14-11 game after one quarter.
The Hawks opened the second quarter with a 7-0 run of their own to grab an 18-14 lead with 5:01 on the clock. USMMA, meanwhile, was kept off the scoreboard until Jackson made a layup at the 4:45 mark. A pair of Hunter free throws made it a four-point game again before Grasseler scored four points as part of a 6-0 run that put the Mariners back up, 22-20. The teams went into the locker room tied at 24-24.
Jackson drained a 3-pointer just six seconds into the third quarter to put the Mariners back up by three. Hunter pulled to within one point on three occasions before converting a layup-and-one to retake the lead, 33-31, at the 3:28 mark. Grasseler promptly leveled the score with a layup, but Hunter went back up by four, 38-34, with 1:10 to go. After Barton tied the game at 38-38 with a layup-and-one, a layup from freshman
Breanna Sommers (Casa Grande, Ariz.) gave the Mariners a 40-38 lead after three quarters.
Hunter promptly tied the game with a pair of free throws to open the fourth, but USMMA took control with a 10-0 run that used up more than six minutes and made it a 50-40 ballgame with just 2:42 left in the game.
The Mariners host rival Coast Guard for the annual 142 Game at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
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