NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (February 24, 2021) – Mount St. Mary's women basketball continued their torrid offensive pace Wednesday evening, resulting in a 79-65 victory over Merrimack. It is the Mount's sixth straight win, all of which have been by 13 or more.

Five Mountaineers posted double figures for the second consecutive contest. Rebecca Lee earned her second double-double of the year, leading the Mount (12-4, 11-2 NEC) in points and rebounds with 16 and 11. Kendall Bresee also had a double-double of 13 and 10, and came within two assists of a triple-double.

Aryna Taylor, Bridget Birkhead and Kayla Agentowicz all crossed the double digit threshold. Taylor and Birkhead added 12 while Agentowicz tallied 11.

Defense proved pivotal in pulling away during the second and third quarters. For the game, the Mount outrebounded the Warriors 38-29.

Michaela Harrison inched closer to the 1,000 point mark with five points, leaving her seven shy of the milestone. She still made her presence known on the floor, contributing four rebounds, four assists and a block.

Merrimack (3-9, 3-9 NEC) received a game-high 17 points from Mayson Kimball, and Jayme DeCesare led the Warriors with eight rebounds.

With both sides renowned for shooting, the first quarter was a barn burner. Each team registered 50 percent from the floor, with the Mount going 6-for-8 from deep. Birkhead drove home a pair of three's, but Agentowicz led all scorers with eight. A trio of Warriors scored five points each to keep the contest close, 25-22 Mount, by quarter's conclusion.

Propelled by an 11-0 run, the visiting Mountaineers stormed out of the gate in the second quarter. Taylor caught fire by going 3-of-4 from downtown, driving the advantage of high at 16 at one point. Merrimack put together a small rally, pushing back the gap to single digits at halftime.

The Warriors kept it close for a couple of minutes starting the second half, but Birkhead drilled a trey with 7:20 left in the third, putting the Mountaineers up double digits, where they would stay for the rest of the game. Another run later in the period capped off by a Harrison triple gave the Mount its largest lead at 22 points. A three-pointer from Jessica Tomasetti with 44 seconds on the clock equaled that leverage.

Merrimack shaved the Mount's lead by a few points in the fourth quarter, as the visitors committed six turnovers and shot 33 percent in an anticlimactic finish. The Mount's comfortable lead of 22 was not in much doubt, but the home Warriors received nine points from Kimball to cut the margin of victory to 14. During this six-game win streak, this result is actually the Mount's second smallest.

Coupled with a defeat by Saint Francis U at the hands of Sacred Heart, Mount St. Mary's has moved into first place in the Northeast Conference, leading the Red Flash by a half game.

The Mount and Merrimack close this series with a 1 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 25) tip-off as the Mountaineers look for a third series sweep and a seventh straight win.