OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (Feb. 5, 2025) – A 20-4 second quarter helped the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy women's basketball team cruise past Old Westbury, 69-29, for its 18th-straight victory. USMMA improved to 19-1 (16-0 Skyline), while Purchase fell to 0-20 (0-16 Skyline).
 
Game Link

• Box Score 

Junior Hannah Ramsden (Port Aransas, Texas) made 9-of-11 field goals as part of a game-high 21-point effort to lead the Mariners. Freshman Breanna Sommers (Casa Grande, Ariz.) shot 3-of-8 from distance and finished with 17 points, while sophomore Emily Grasseler (Millbrook, N.Y.) added 14 points. Senior Grace Jackson (Parma, Idaho) contributed 10 rebounds, eight assists, two points, two blocks and two steals. The Mariners shot 44.8 percent (30-of-67) from the floor and made 6-of-15 3-pointers (40.0 percent), while posting a +15 edge (45-30) on the glass.
 
Sakhmet Lewis scored a team-high 16 points to pace Old Westbury. The Panthers shot just 26.5 percent (13-of-49) from the floor and committed 21 turnovers.
 
The Panthers led, 6-4, at the 7:38 mark before Grasseler scored six points as part of a 12-0 run that gave the Mariners a 16-6 lead with just 2:23 on the clock. Old Westbury added a bucket in the final minute to make it a 16-8 game after one quarter.
 
After the teams traded baskets to open the second, a Sommers 3-pointer jumpstarted a 15-0 run that put USMMA up, 33-10, with just 55 seconds remaining. The Panthers made just their second field goal of the quarter before sophomore Sydney Brown (Northville, Mich.) buried a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to give the Mariners a 36-12 lead at the break.
 
Jackson opened the third with a layup and Grasseler followed with six-straight points as an 8-0 spurt put the Mariners up, 44-12, at the 6:37 mark. The Panthers, meanwhile, were kept off the board until a pair of free throws with 5:56 to go. A Sommers 3-pointer and a jumper from senior McKenzie Cassingham (Shasta Lake, Calif.) eventually stretched the lead to 50-16 with 1:56 left. The Panthers were once again held to just two field goals in the quarter and the Mariners took a 50-18 lead into the final frame.
 
Sommers made another 3-pointer as USMMA opened the fourth with a 7-0 run that made it 57-18 with exactly 8:00 on the clock. The Panthers followed with a quick 7-2 spurt before Ramsden drained two 3-pointers and scored 10-straight points to give USMMA its largest lead of the game, a 69-25 advantage with 2:28 remaining.
 
The Mariners host St. Joseph's-Long Island for Senior Day on Saturday, Feb. 8, at noon.
 
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