The SCSU women’s basketball team suffered a tough loss to Mercy, with a final score of 53-43. This game took place at the season-opening SCSU Tip-Off Classic, and it didn’t go as planned for the Southern Connecticut team. With this loss, Southern’s record for the year dropped to 1-1, while Mercy’s record improved to 2-0.
Delaney Haines was the standout player for Southern, scoring an impressive 19 points and making 5 out of 10 three-point attempts. She also made an impact on the defensive end with four steals. Hope Fox contributed with 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals, and three points. Ashley Evans and Katie Williamson also made valuable contributions with eight points and six points respectively, along with several rebounds and assists.
The game started with Mercy taking an early lead, going on a 7-0 run and setting the tone for the rest of the match. The Knights maintained their lead throughout the game and were ahead at halftime with a score of 29-19.
In the second half, Southern managed to narrow the gap by outscoring the Knights 11-7 in the last seven minutes of the third quarter, bringing the score within six points. The Owls continued to fight hard and outscored Mercy in the third quarter, with Haines and Evans leading the charge.
Haines continued to shine in the fourth quarter, scoring eight of the Owls’ 11 points and totaling 14 points in the second half. However, despite their efforts, the team struggled to convert their shots, making only 9 out of 26 attempts in the final 20 minutes.
Looking ahead, Southern will aim to bounce back from this defeat as they prepare to face No. 6/7 Assumption in their upcoming game on Wednesday, Nov. 15 in Worcester, Mass. The team will be looking to make a strong start in the Northeast-10 Conference play.