Ward and Thornton notch Skyhawks first two double-doubles of season
Thomas and DeCesare combine for 38 points to lead Warriors

Thornton notched the Skyhawks first double-double of the season, pulling down a career-high and team-best 11 rebounds to go with 15 points (PHOTO BY Brian Foley)

EASTON, Mass. (January 21, 2024) – Merrimack College shot over 48-percent from the floor in the second half to overcome Stonehill College's fast start and secure a 72-60 victory in Northeast Conference women's basketball action on Paula Sullivan Court at Merkert Gymnasium this afternoon.

Postgrads Kaylee Thomas and Jayme DeCesare each scored a game-high 19 points to lead Merrimack to its third-straight win. Thomas connected on 3-of-8 three-pointers and converted 6-of-7 free-throws in netting her 19 points to go with six rebounds and two steals, while DeCesare made 8-of-14 shots, with three boards and two assists.

Freshman Madison Roman filled the boxscore with 13 points, eight rebounds, five steals and two assists, while senior Amaya Staton rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Warriors by chipping in 11 points, three boards and three blocks.

Seniors Cameron Ward and Jada Thornton recorded the first double-doubles of their careers and the first two for Stonehill this season overall to lead the Skyhawks. Ward posted career-highs of 17 points and ten rebounds, along with a career-high matching three assists, while Thornton added 15 points and a career-best 11 boards, with two assists and two steals. Junior Sharn Hayward rounded out the trio of double-figure scorers for the Skyhawks with 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting from three-point distance, reaching double-digits for the fourth-straight game with four assists and two rebounds.

Ward led a fast start for Stonehill which shot 47.1-percent (8-for-17) from the floor as she scored the Skyhawks first 11 points to outscore Merrimack by five (11-5) on her own through the first 6:20 of the game. The Skyhawks extended their lead to seven (15-8) on a Ward layup with 50-seconds remaining as the captain finished the opening ten minutes with a season-high 13 points and seven rebounds.

Ward joined Thornton in the double-double club with career-highs of 17 points and ten rebounds (PHOTO BY Jennifer Raider)

Ward surpassed her previous career-best of 14 points against Queens College last December with a three-point play 58-seconds into the second quarter to stretch the Stonehill lead into double-digits (20-10). Hayward canned a three-pointer for a 12-point lead (23-11) a minute later and then the Skyhawks lead grew to 14 (27-13) after a layup by freshman Brooke Paquette with 6:44 left in the second quarter.

Stonehill's lead was still ten (30-20) with 2:17 remaining in the first half when Merrimack scored the final 11-points of the half, sparked by a pair of three-pointers from Thomas and five points from DeCesare, to grab its first lead (31-30) since the opening possession of the game heading into the intermission. The Warriors extended the run to 13-points as DeCesare opened the second half scoring, before Paquette drained a three to draw the Skyhawks level (33-33) with 7:52 to go in the third. Merrimack's overall run reached 19-3 for a six point lead (39-33) after a layup from freshman Thalia Shepard four minutes into the half.

Hayward brought an abrupt halt to the Merrimack run with nine-straight Stonehill points as she buried three consecutive three-pointers, including a pair 20-seconds apart to reclaim the Skyhawks lead (42-39) with 3:30 to play in the third. Merrimack recovered and took the edge (46-45) heading to the fourth after a layup by freshman Cadence Johnson with 24-seconds remaining.

Shepard opened the fourth quarter scoring for a three-point (48-45) Merrimack lead, but Stonehill scored six-straight over the next two minutes to take the lead once again (51-48) on a second-chance layup from Thornton with 7:56 to play. The Warriors used a 7-1 spurt to take the lead back (55-52) a minute later and then pulled away after the media timeout using a 9-2 stretch to claim an eight-point cushion (66-58) on a three-point play from Staton.

Thornton trimmed the deficit to six (66-60) with two minutes remaining, but Stonehill would go scoreless the rest of the way and Merrimack sealed the win with 6-of-8 free-throw shooting in the last minute. The Warriors made 8-of-15 (53.3%) of their shots from the floor in the final quarter and converted 10-of-12 (83.3%) free-throws.

Noteworthy

• This afternoon marked the 636^th game as head coach of the Stonehill women's basketball program for Trisha Brown in her 23^rd season, matching the program-high set by the program's first coach and longtime administrator Paula Sullivan who coached the program over the first 24 years.
• Thornton officially posted Stonehill's first double-double since former teammate Sophie Glidden, '23 totaled ten points and 12 rebounds at Saint Francis University last February 2.
• Thornton's career-best 11 rebounds leads Stonehill for the fourth time in her career – all this season.
• Thornton scored in double-figures for a team-leading tenth time (13 career, leading the Skyhawks in scoring for a team-high eighth game (11^th career), while Ward posted her second double-figure scoring game of the year (fourth career).
• Hayward has scored in double-figures in four-straight at Merkert Gym, averaging 18.8 points on 26-of-46 (56.5-percent) shooting, including 21-for-39 (53.9%) from three, in that stretch.
• Stonehill finished with a 43-38 rebounding edge, outrebounding its fourth opponent of the season, including a 17-2 margin in the first quarter alone, grabbing eight offensive boards in the frame.
• Merrimack finished with a 19-7 advantage in points off turnovers, committing just nine themselves, compared to 19 for the Skyhawks.

Up Next
Stonehill (2-17, 2-4 NEC) continues its season-long matching three game homestand on Thursday when it hosts Saint Francis University for an NEC matchup that will be broadcast on ESPN+ through the Conference's broadcast package at Merkert Gymnasium at 6 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear purple and there will be a $10,000 Halftime Putting Contest. Merrimack (6-13, 3-3 NEC) visits Le Moyne College on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Tickets for home Stonehill basketball games can be purchased in advance online at stonehillskyhawks.com/tickets.

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