KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Feb. 8, 2025) – Four players scored in double-figures as the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy women's basketball team came back from a five-point first-quarter deficit to earn its 19th-straight victory with an 81-68 triumph against St. Joseph's-Long Island on Senior Day. The Mariners improved to 20-1 (17-0 Skyline), while the Golden Eagles fell to 16-6 (12-5 Skyline).
 
Game Links

• Box Score
• WATCH: Postgame Interview With McKenzie Cassingham
• Senior Day Ceremony Photo Gallery 

Senior Grace Jackson (Parma, Idaho) made 7-of-11 field goals, including 3-of-6 3-pointers, to lead USMMA with a team-high 17 points. Freshman Carolae Barton (Waldorf, Md.) finished with a 15-point, 18-rebound double-double, while junior Hannah Ramsden (Port Aransas, Texas) added 16 points and sophomore Emily Grasseler (Millbrook, N.Y.) chipped in with 11.
 
Senior Kaira Winston (Chesterfield, Va.) finished with six points, while also dishing out a game-high seven assists and classmate Abby Stramski (Jones, Okla.) contributed an important eight points on the day.
 
The Mariners shot 40.0 percent (28-of-70) from the floor and made 20-of-24 free throws (83.3 percent), while posting a +20 margin (51-31) on the glass.
 
Isabella Sierra scored a game-high 23 points to pace St. Joseph's-Long Island. The Golden Eagles shot 36.8 percent (21-of-57) from the floor and made 21-of-28 free throws (75.0 percent).
 
St. Joseph's-Long Island took a 7-4 lead with a 3-pointer before a pair of Barton free throws started a 5-0 run that put the Mariners up, 9-7, at the 4:07 mark.  After knotting the score, the Golden Eagles made another 3-pointer to grab a 12-9 lead. A jumper by senior Abby Stramski (Jones, Okla.) pulled USMMA to within one, but the Golden Eagles added two more 3-pointers to take an 18-13 lead after one quarter.
 
USMMA scored 14 points off 10 SJLI turnovers to take control in the second quarter. The teams traded baskets before senior McKenzie Cassingham (Shasta Lake, Calif.) made a layup to cap a quick 6-0 spurt that gave the Mariners a 21-20 advantage with 7:26 to play. After SJLI went back up by one, the Mariners scored five-straight as freshman Breanna Sommers (Casa Grande, Ariz.) buried a 3-pointer and Ramsden added a layup for a 26-22 lead. The Golden Eagles followed with a pair at the stripe, but Ramsden made three free throws as part of another 5-0 run that made it a 31-24 game at the 3:50 mark. Barton and Grasseler later scored four points apiece as the Mariners closed the quarter on an 8-2 run and took a 39-28 lead into halftime.
 
St. Joseph's-Long Island quickly closed to within six after opening the third with a 5-0 run of its own. The Mariners still led by six at the 7:37 mark when a Jackson 3-pointer opened a 12-3 run that was eventually capped by a Ramsden 3-pointer that gave USMMA a 53-38 lead with just 3:02 to go. SJLI closed the quarter on an 11-4 run, but the Mariners still led by a 57-49 margin at the end of the quarter.
 
SJLI trimmed the lead to six before Jackson buried a pair of 3-pointers to key an 8-1 run that put USMMA up, 69-56, with 4:33 left in regulation. The Mariners still led by 10 at the 1:55 mark before SJLI made back-to-back buckets to pull within 73-67 with just 1:26 to play. The Golden Eagles would come no closer as the Mariners made 5-of-6 free throws and senior Jalen Douglas (Waldorf, Md.) added a layup for the final 81-68 margin.
 
The Mariners host Sarah Lawrence on Tuesday, Feb. 11, for a 5 p.m. game.
 
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