Division II Women’s Basketball

NCAA Northeast Regional Final

Merrimack 70, Bryant 57

North Andover, MA --  Junior Eileen Brosnihan (Dudley, MA) posted her fifth double-double in her last six games to lead top-seeded Merrimack (30-3) to its first ever Elite Eight appearance in school history, by defeating seventh-seeded Bryant, 70-57 at the S. Peter Volpe Center.

Brosnihan, who also claimed Most Outstanding Performer of the regional, netted 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Warriors, who have won seven in a row.  The Bulldogs took an early 7-2 lead on a lay-up by senior Mary McConnell (Pawtucket, RI) at 15:23 of the opening frame.  Junior Jenny Smith (East Freetown, MA) gave Merrimack its first lead of the contest with a pair of free throws just two minutes later.  The Warriors built their advantage to 28-17, as senior Colleen Carbone (Nashua, NH) had a steal and broke in by herself for a lay-up with 4:43 left in the first half.  Bryant cut the margin to six points at 33-27 on a lay-up by McConnell, but Merrimack took a 36-27 lead into the break. 

Junior Dede Fogarty (Middletown, CT) nailed a three-pointer and the Bulldogs trailed 41-35 just 5:35 into the final session, but a 19-8 run over the next seven minutes gave the Warriors their biggest lead of the contest at 60-43.

Smith led all scorers with 17 points, while sophomore Joelle Martin (Somerville, MA) added 14 points for the host, who shot 40 percent for the game.  Senior Tanya Iwanski (Manchester, CT) and McConnell both scored 10 points apiece for the Bulldogs.  The Warriors held a 45-38 advantage off the glass.

Joining Brosnihan on the all-tournament team were Martin, McConnell, Fogarty, senior Jillian Middlemiss (Methuen, MA) of Stonehill College and senior Heather Wyatt (Phoenix, AZ) of American International College