NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The University of New Haven women's basketball team held its second consecutive opponent under 60 points, but the Chargers fell in a Northeast-10 Conference game to the Merrimack Warriors 56-45 on Wednesday night. New Haven is now 2-10 on the season and 1-6 in the NE10.

The Chargers started game strong, hitting four of their first seven shots, to take a 10-5 lead on an Alexandria Kerr (Montclair, N.J./Montclair) jumper at the 4:55 mark of the first quarter. New Haven maintained the lead through the end of the period thanks to their defense, holding Merrimack without a point for more than five minutes, carrying a 14-11 lead at the end of the frame. The Warriors responded to open the second, eventually taking a 17-16 edge on a Lexi Martin basket three minutes into the period. The Blue and Gold had the answer, using a 7-0 run during the next four minutes before taking a 27-24 lead into halftime.

The game remained tight early in the third as a jumper by Sade King (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Mount Vernon / Hampton University) put New Haven on top 32-30 with 6:34 remaining. After neither team scored for the next four minutes, the Warriors ended the frame on a 7-2 run with Lexi Martin scoring all seven points. Merrimack pushed the lead to 43-36 before a 7-1 run for the Chargers, capped by a Kerr three-pointer, pulled New Haven to within a point at 44-43 at the 5:43 mark. Three consecutive baskets followed for the Warriors and gave them a 50-43 lead before Merrimack connected on 6-of-8 at the line to record the final score.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Kerr recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. She also had three assists and three steals.
• King also scored in double figures with 10 points, going 2-for-4 from beyond the arc.
• Micah Wormack (Cumberland, Md./Allegany) and Katia Oge (New City, N.Y./Immaculate Heart Academy) each had two blocks for the Chargers. It was the 20^th consecutive game that Oge has rejected an opponent's shot.  

FIRST HALF NOTES

• Oge recorded both of her blocks along with six points and two offensive rebounds in the second quarter.
• New Haven held a 19-16 advantage on the glass in the half.
• Eight different players scored for the Chargers in the opening 20 minutes.
• The Blue and Gold had a stretch in each quarter where they held Merrimack scoreless for more than four minutes.
• New Haven shot 3-for-5 from beyond the arc in the half.

SECOND HALF NOTES

• Wormack had both her blocks in the second half.
• Kerr scored seven of her points after the break.

UP NEXT
New Haven remains on the road, traveling to Waltham, Mass. to take on #17 Bentley on Saturday, Jan. 7. Tipoff from the Dana Center is slated for 1:30 p.m.