Merrimack women's basketball falls to No. 16 Kentucky

Mac Cerullo, The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
·1 min read

Dec. 6—Facing the toughest team on their schedule, Merrimack College women's basketball kept within striking distance of the No. 16 ranked University of Kentucky for much of the first half before the Wildcats pulled away for a 90-56 win.

Merrimack trailed 21-12 at the end of the first quarter and by only 11 points late in the second quarter before the Wildcats made it 46-31 at halftime and extended the lead from there.

The SEC powerhouse gave Merrimack fits defensively, forcing 27 turnovers and converting those into 38 points. Overall the Warriors shot 38.6% from the field and went 8 for 25 from 3-point range (32%), but in addition to the turnover deficit Merrimack was also beaten by a 52-20 margin in the paint and 23-9 on the fast break.

Mayson Kimball led Merrimack in scoring with 17 points and four rebounds, Kate Mager had nine points on 3 for 8 shooting behind the arc, and Amaya Staton scored eight points off the bench.

Kentucky (6-1) was led by All-American Rhyne Howard, who had 21 points to move into fourth place on the Wildcats' all-time career scoring list (1,799 points), and the Wildcats had three others score in double figures as well.

Merrimack (2-5) now returns home and hosts Boston University on Thursday at 7 p.m.