FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (Dec. 7, 2022) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy women's basketball team led 23-6 after one quarter and rolled past Farmingdale State, 70-48, to record its third-straight victory. Lauren Hunter (Tinley Park, Ill.) and Madison Demos (Downers Grove, Ill.) each recorded double-doubles to lead USMMA (6-1, 3-1). Hunter finished with a game-high 17 points and 12 boards, while Demos scored 14 points and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. Victoria Kantzian finished with a team-high 16 points for Farmingdale State (3-6, 2-3).
 
Grace Jackson (Parma, Idaho) added 14 points, six rebounds and a game-high six assists to help pace USMMA. The Mariners shot 48.3 percent (29-of-60) from the floor, including a 52.63 percent (10-of-19) effort in the first quarter. USMMA benefitted from a +22 (50-28) edge on the boards and held the Rams to just 30.0 percent (18-of-60) from the field.
 
The Mariners scored the game's first four points and led 10-5 at the 5:05 mark. A Jackson 3-pointer and a Hunter layup quickly pushed the lead to double-digits and jumpstarted a 13-0 burst that put USMMA up 18 points, 23-5, with 41 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. An Erin Conte free throw ended the scoring drought for the Rams, but the Mariners led 23-6 after one.
 
Back-to-back buckets by Kaira Winston (Chesterfield, Va.) and Bryanne Buchanan-Cummings (Dacula, Ga.) to open the second quarter gave USMMA a 27-6 advantage with 9:18 to play before halftime. The Rams answered with a run of their own as 3-pointers from Emily Pohalski and Kantzian helped key a quick 8-0 rally that trimmed the Mariner lead to 13, 27-14, before USMMA took a 38-21 lead into the locker room.
 
USMMA made its first three shots of the third quarter as its lead ballooned to a 23-point advantage, 44-21, at the 8:19 mark. The Rams, meanwhile, missed two shots and had a pair of turnovers before Kantzian made a 3-pointer with 7:13 to play. The Mariners shot 66.7 percent (10-of-15) in the frame and took a 59-36 lead into the fourth and final quarter of action.
 
Hunter eventually gave the Mariners a 28-point lead, the largest of the game, with a layup that made it a 68-40 ballgame at the 3:30 mark. The Rams scored eight of the next 10 points for the final 22-point margin.
 
USMMA returns to action on Dec. 10, hosting St. Joseph's-Brooklyn for a Noon game at Liebertz Gymnasium. Live stats and a live video feed will be available with links on the USMMA Women's Basketball Schedule Page.
 
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