FAIRFIELD, Conn.— The Sacred Heart University women's basketball team won its second-straight game with a 61-56 victory over Merrimack at the Pitt Center on Saturday.
 
Records:
Sacred Heart: 7-13, 6-9 NEC
Merrimack: 8-15, 6-9 NEC
 
Top Performers:
Sonia Smith: 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Nikki Johnson: 11 points, 4 assists
 
Up Next:
Sacred Heart hits the road for a two-game stretch, beginning at Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
 
Of Note
Sacred Heart struggled to get its offense going at the beginning of the first quarter as it turned over the ball four times, leading Merrimack to take a 6-0 lead.
 
A layup from Asia McCray at the 5:16 mark in the first quarter sparked a 15-0 run that gave the Pioneers a 15-6 lead.
 
The Warriors trimmed the score to two at the start of the fourth quarter before a McCray layup sparked a 9-2 run to extend the lead, 50-43. Merrimack went on an 11-4 run at the 5:37 mark to bring the score back within two.
 
Down to the wire in the final 37 seconds, Afia Owusu-Mensah and Olivia Tucker combined for 5-of-6 from the free-throw line to help Sacred Heart ice the victory.  
 
The Pioneers won the advantage from the free-throw line for the second-straight game as they shot 12-of-13 while the Warriors notched 6-of-10.
 
Sacred Heart also outrebounded Merrimack, 42-32, and scored 12 points off eight offensive rebounds.
 
Sonia Smith led the Pioneers with 14 points and nine rebounds. Nikki Johnson chipped in  11 points while leading the team with four assists.