EMMITSBURG, Md. (Feb. 23, 2020) - Needing another strong defensive effort, Mount St. Mary's locked down against the Merrimack Warriors and earned their eighth straight victory - a 62-53 triumph Sunday at Knott Arena. The win secures the No. 2 seed in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament, and keeps them in the running for the top spot.

The Mountaineers (18-9, 13-2 NEC) shot 36.2 percent from the floor, marking their lowest total for a win this year. But the defense held firm, forcing a 32.8 percent effort from Merrimack (18-9, 11-5 NEC). Mount has held their opponents under 40 percent shooting in the last seven contests. 

Michaela Harrison provided the spark in the first half while Rebecca Lee put the finishing touches home in the final minutes. Harrison led the Mountaineers with 17 points, and Lee ended with 10 points and seven rebounds. Kendall Bresee led in rebounding with 10, with Harrison tallying five assists and four steals. 

For the Warriors, Denia Davis-Stewart and Courtney Clasen completed double-doubles. Davis-Stewart scored a game-high 21 points with 11 rebounds, and Clasen supplied 11 points with a game-best 13 boards.  

Mount started the game with a 14-0 run, propelled by 10 points from Harrison. Davis-Stewart got Merrimack on the board with a layup almost seven minutes in. The Mountaineers shot 50 percent from the floor, compared to 21.4 percent for the Warriors, as the home side led 22-9 after one. 

Continuing their dominance during the first five minutes, the Mountaineers built an advantage as big as 19 with a jumper by Kayla Agentowicz to make it 32-13. But then they were held scoreless the rest of the half, and the Warriors were able to creep back in it. Mount's defense helped them stay up by double digits at the break. 

Both sides stayed even in the third quarter. Mount drove the lead back up to 17 before Merrimack countered. A jumper by Jatarrikah Settle in the closing seconds kept the lead at 11. 

Merrimack immediately put the pressure on in the fourth quarter, scoring on their first two possessions to cut the game back down to seven. But Lee carried the team on her shoulders, putting layups home past the outstretched arms of Davis-Stewart, who is one of the best shot blockers in the nation. The Mountaineer junior registered a 6-0 personal run to push Mount's advantage back to 13. That run was the ultimate seal to victory. 

The Mountaineers travel to Saint Francis U Saturday (Feb. 29) for their final regular season road contest. A ninth consecutive win would be the program's longest since a 11 game streak from December 3, 1998 to January 20, 1999.