Kings Point, NY – The USMMA women's basketball team had three players score in double figures en route to a 73-49 triumph over NYU Poly Wednesday night inside O'Hara Hall. Kristina Walz (Manona, IA) totaled a game high 16 points while freshman Kelsey Hofmann (Adel, IA) dished out nine assists. USMMA held a 55-39 advantage on the glass as both Rebecca Resor (Bay St. Louis, MS) and Rachel Wehlburg (Herndon, VA) grabbed a team high 11 rebounds.
Merchant Marine (4-10) held a 32-20 edge at halftime and opened the second period with a 10-4 run that pushed the lead to 20 points following a Demi VanDerWal (Springfield, IL) trifecta. VanDerWal notched 15 points and made four three-pointers on the night. Freshman Julie Mall (Littlestown, PA) also had a strong game for the Mariners with 12 points, seven rebounds, and four steals.
NYU Poly (2-12) was led by the hot shooting of Alyssa D'Apice, who posted 27 points, including 5-of-11 from downtown. D'Apice hit a trey at the 8:03 mark that brought the Blue Jays to within 10 points at 57-47. However, VanDerWal immediately answered with a triple for the Mariners as USMMA closed the night with a 16-2 surge down the stretch.
The victory marks the first time this season that Merchant Marine has won back-to-back games. USMMA committed a season low nine turnovers and tied a season high with six triples. The Mariners were also efficient at the free throw line, hitting 15-of-18 (83.3%) at the charity stripe.
The USMMA women's basketball team returns to the court Saturday afternoon for a Landmark Conference game versus Juniata.