PURCHASE, N.Y. (Jan. 19, 2023) – Trailing by seven with 5:01 remaining in regulation, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy women's basketball team forced overtime and went on to defeat Manhattanville, 59-49, after not allowing a single point in the extra session. USMMA pushed its winning streak to four games and improved to 14-2 (9-2 Skyline), while Manhattanville saw its record go to 13-3 (9-2 Skyline).
 
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• Box Score 

Senior Lauren Hunter (Tinley Park, Ill.) and classmate Madison Demos (Downers Grove, Ill.) each recorded double-doubles to lead USMMA. Hunter registered her 11th double-double of the season with a 16-point, 17-rebound effort, while Demos finished with 14 points and 13 boards for her sixth double-double. Sophomore Kaira Winston (Chesterfield, Va.) added 13 points and classmate Grace Jackson (Parma, Idaho) chipped in with 12 points. The Mariners were held to just 30.9 percent (21-of-68) shooting from the floor, but benefited from 25 second chance points and 22 points off turnovers.
 
Amanda Orlando scored 16 points for Manhattanville, while Julianna Kascic finished with a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double. The Valiants shot 34.6 percent (18-of-52) from the floor and committed 20 turnovers.
 
Jackson opened the scoring with a 3-pointer and Hunter made a pair of buckets to give the Mariners a five-point lead, 7-2, less than three minutes into the game. The first quarter ended, however, with the teams tied at 15-apiece.
 
The Valiants scored the first five points of the second quarter and eventually opened a seven-point lead, 24-17, with 2:50 left before halftime. USMMA was held to just three field goals in the second quarter, including a Demos layup in the closing seconds that pulled the Mariners to within 26-22 at the break.
 
A Manhattanville 3-pointer gave the home team a 31-24 advantage before a 3-pointer from Jackson helped key a 7-0 USMMA rally that leveled the score at 31-31 with 5:53 to play in the third. The Valiants retook the lead and twice pushed their advantage to four points, but USMMA answered with six-straight points as a Demos jumper and a pair of Winston buckets gave the Mariners a 39-37 lead through three quarters.
 
Following ties at 39-apiece and 41-apiece, Manhattanville scored seven-straight points to grab a 48-41 lead with 5:01 left to play. Sophomore Abby Stramski (Jones, Okla.) ended the run with a jumper and Jackson later made a pair of free throws to pull the Mariners within one, 48-47. After Manhattanville made it a two-point game with a free throw of their own, Hunter was fouled with seven seconds on the clock and knocked down a pair of free throws to force overtime with the score knotted at 49-49.
 
Jackson made two free throws at 3:31 to open the scoring in overtime and the Mariners never looked back, outscoring the Valiants by a 10-0 margin. Jackson added two more free throws, while Demos and Hunter each made a pair as USMMA went 8-of-8 at the line in the extra period.
 
USMMA returns to the hardwood on Jan. 21 for a noon contest at Mount Saint Vincent. Live stats and a live video feed of the game will be available with links posted on the USMMA Women's Basketball Schedule Page.