NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Sophomore Sara Ryan (Quincy, Mass.) scored a season-high 17 points as Southern New Hampshire University held off Merrimack College for a 65-61 Northeast-10 women's basketball victory Saturday afternoon at Hammel Court.  The Penmen won their fourth in a row to improve to 7-6 and 3-5 in the NE-10, while the Warriors, who are ranked No. 10 in the most recent D2SIDA East Region media poll, now stand 8-4 and 4-3 in the league.

Ryan went 5-7 from three-point land and led four Southern New Hampshire players in double figures on the afternoon.  Freshman Catherine Stinson (Lynn, Mass.) registered 14 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, while Brooke Springfield (Jaffrey, N.H.) notched 10 points and six rebounds.  Victoria Wiseman (Montreal, Quebec) added 10 points and six boards off the bench.

Aria Johnson was the lone Warrior in double figures, as she notched a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Southern New Hampshire never trailed and opened up a 31-20 halftime lead.  The Penmen extended the lead to 37-22 a minute into the second half.  Merrimack climbed back into the game with a 17-6 run to cut the lead to four, 47-43, with 10:20 left on a basket by Chloe Rothman.  The Warriors drew within one, 52-51, with just over six minutes left.

The Penmen countered with a 9-2 spurt capped by a Springfield layup with just under four minutes to go that put the guests on top 61-53.  Five straight Merrimack points made it 61-58 with 1:24 left, but a pair of Wiseman free throws made it a five-point game with 33 seconds to go.  Allison Wagner knocked down a three to make it 63-61, but Springfield sank a pair at the line to seal the victory.

A 10-1 run midway through the first half capped by a basket by Kaylea Griffin (Green Springs, Ohio) opened up a 23-12 lead for Southern New Hampshire.  The Penmen took their largest lead in the first half, 31-18, on a pair of Chelsea Dunham (Johnson, Vt.) free throws with a minute left, and SNHU carried a 31-20 lead into the locker room.

Southern New Hampshire shot 42.6% for the game and went 7-23 behind the arc, while Merrimack shot 43.9% and 4-11 behind the arc.  The Warriors went just 7-15 at the free throw line while SNHU was 6-10, and the guests held a 42-34 rebounding advantage.

SNHU steps out of conference play Monday night when it hosts the University of Bridgeport in a 5:30 game at the SNHU Fieldhouse.

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