KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Dec. 4, 2024) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy women's basketball team needed an extra five minutes, but ultimately earned its fourth-straight victory with a 73-66 overtime triumph at home against Manhattanville. USMMA improved to 5-1 (4-0 Skyline), while Manhattanville dropped to 4-1 (2-1 Skyline).
 
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• Box Score
• WATCH: Postgame Interview With Junior Hannah Ramsden

Sophomore Emily Grasseler (Millbrook, N.Y.) had a 20-point, 14-rebound double-double to lead the Mariners, while freshman Carolae Barton (Waldorf, Md.) also registered a double-double with a 14-point, 13-board effort. Junior Hannah Ramsden (Port Aransas, Texas) added 15 points and senior Grace Jackson (Parma, Idaho) scored 10. USMMA shot just 34.5 percent (29-of-84) from the floor, but posted a +13 margin on the glass (57-44) and benefitted from a 19-6 edge in second chance points.
 
Julie Debrocky made 4-of-9 3-pointers and had a game-high 26 points to lead Manhattanville. The Valiants shot 36.4 percent (24-of-66) from the floor, while shooting 91.7 percent (11-of-12) from the line.
 
Barton made a layup to open the scoring, but Manhattanville made two 3-pointers as part of a 10-2 run that gave the Valiants a 10-4 lead at the 3:52 mark. Winston followed with a bucket before Grasseler made a layup and converted a pair of free throws to knot the score at 10-10. Two more baskets and a pair of free throws from senior Kaira Winston (Chesterfield, Va.) eventually capped a 12-0 run that put USMMA up, 16-10, after one quarter.
 
The Mariners still led by four at the 6:51 mark of the second before Jackson drained a 3-pointer for a 24-17 lead. Manhattanville responded with a 3-pointer of its own before freshman Breanna Sommers (Casa Grande, Ariz.) followed with another 3-pointer that made it 27-20 with 5:56 to go. After going on a 6-0 run to close to within one point, Manhattanville buried a game-tying 3-pointer with 26 seconds to go and the teams went into halftime tied at 31-31.
 
After USMMA opened the third with layups from Barton and Ramsden, Manhattanville drained another 3-pointer to make it a one-point game, 35-34, at the 6:55 mark. Ramsden answered with a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession and Grasseler made a pair of layups as the Mariners used a 7-0 run to grab a 42-34 lead with 5:51 to go in the third.
 
Manhattanville eventually trimmed the USMMA lead to three points, but a Barton layup and a Sommers trey put the Mariners back up by eight, 51-43, at the 1:14 mark. The Valiants answered with five-straight points before a Winston layup in the closing seconds put USMMA up, 53-48, at the end of three quarters.
 
Manhattanville retook the lead after opening the fourth quarter with a 12-2 run that made it a 60-55 game with 5:38 to go. The Mariners still trailed by five before a Barton layup capped a 5-0 run that leveled the score at 62-62 with just 1:05 on the clock. The Mariners had a chance to win at the buzzer, but a jumper by Grasseler was off the mark and the game headed to overtime.
 
The teams were still tied at 66-66 with 3:17 remaining in the extra session, but the Mariners closed the game with a 7-0 run and escaped with a 73-66 victory.
 
The Mariners host Farmingdale State on Saturday, Dec. 7, at noon.
 
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