North Andover, Mass. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team rallied from a 23-point deficit to defeat Merrimack College, 61-58, on Friday in the first round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championships at Hammel Court.

Le Moyne (17-12), which has won 17 games for just the fourth time in the program's 39-year history and for the first time since the 2001-02 season, advances to the Northeast-10 Conference quarterfinals for the second straight year. The Dolphins will take on the Southwest Division's top seed, Adelphi University, on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. in Garden City, N.Y. The Panthers posted 23-point victories in each of the two meetings between the teams this season.

After dropping 12 of its first 13 all-time games at Merrimack, including eight straight since a 70-66 win during the 2000-01 season, the Dolphins have defeated the Warriors twice in North Andover over the last 41 days, yielding just 58 points in each game. In the only previous Northeast-10 Championships meeting between the Dolphins and the Warriors, Le Moyne posted a 69-67 overtime victory during the 2000-01 campaign.

First Team All-Conference senior guard Alex Marple (Covington, Pa./Wellsboro) led four Dolphins in double figures with 18 points, 14 of which she scored in the second half. With her 18 points, Marple now has 488 on the season, which ties Anne Scheftic '92 for the third-most in a single season by a Dolphin. Her five free throws give her 127 on the year, which ties her total from last year for fourth on the single-season chart. Third Team All-Conference junior guard Vandell Andrade (Cranston, R.I./St. Mary's-Bay View/Rhode Island College) tallied her team-best seventh double-double of the season with 17 points (11 in the second half) and 10 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end. With her 10 rebounds, she now has 233 on the season, the seventh-most in a single season, while her 113 offensive rebounds are the third-most. Senior forward Bath-Sheba McMahon (Queens, N.Y./Grambling Laboratory (La.)/Weatherford College) posted her second straight double-double and fourth of the year with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while senior forward Emily Greer (Corry, Pa./Corry) registered 10 points (seven in the second half) and six rebounds (five in the second half). With her three made shots from three-point range, Greer now has 62 on the season, which ties Kim Black '93 for the third-most on the single-season chart and is one shy of tying the program's record held by Black (1991-92) and Muffy Sadler (2009-10).

Chloe Rothman, a third team all-conference selection, led the Warriors with 14 points off the bench, 10 of which she scored in the first half. Tia Scott was the only other Merrimack player in double figures with 13 points, while adding eight rebounds and six assists.

After Scott scored the first points of the second half for a 40-22 lead, Marple and Andrade registered back-to-back conventional three-point plays to trim Le Moyne's lead to 12 with 19:09 left.

Following eight points from each team over the next 8:12, during which time Merrimack's lead bounced between 11 and 15 points, the Dolphins scored 11 of the next 17 points to get within seven points with 5:12 left. Greer started the stretch with a three-pointer, Marple two free throws, sophomore guard Ailayia Demand (Watervliet, N.Y./Watervliet) made two free throws and Andrade converted a pair of lay-ups.

After Rothman made one free throw with 5:00 left to give the Warriors a 55-47 advantage, the Dolphins rattled off 14 straight points to take the lead for the first time since the opening seconds of the game. Following 1:24 of scoreless action, Demand made a free throw, Greer followed with another and then McMahon made two foul shots to make it a four-point game with 3:24 left. Just before the shot clock expired on Le Moyne's next possession, Marple drilled a three-pointer from the top of the key to pull the Dolphins within one with 2:31 to go.

Following a Merrimack turnover, Andrade gave Le Moyne the lead with a put-back lay-up with 1:30 remaining. After a turnover by each team and a missed three-pointer by the Warriors, Andrade grabbed the rebound and was fouled. She made the first free throw, but missed the second. However, McMahon grabbed the rebound and was fouled. She connected on both attempts to push Le Moyne's lead to 59-55 with 18 seconds left. Merrimack turned the ball over with 10 seconds left and Marple nailed two free throws with six seconds left to give the Dolphins a six-point lead.

Allison Wagner hit a three-pointer as the game ended to deliver the final score.

After Marple scored the first two points of the game with a jumper, Merrimack tallied 14 consecutive points. Stormee Van Belle started the streak with a lay-up, Aria Johnson and Scott followed with lay-ups and then Wagner hit a three-pointer to force a Le Moyne timeout with 16:00 left. Ashley Weissmann followed with a three-pointer and then Scott made a lay-up for a 14-2 lead with 13:47 remaining.

Le Moyne cut its deficit to nine on a pair of occasions before Merrimack scored seven straight points and 18 of the next 22 points to open up its largest lead of the game, 34-11, with 7:44 remaining in the half. Caitlyn Garger led the run with a pair of three-pointers, while Cassi Amenta and Rothman each had four points and Scott and Weissmann had two points apiece.

After Rothman posted a conventional three-point play to give the Warriors a 37-15 lead with 5:10 left, the Dolphins closed out the half with seven of the final eight points to get within 38-22 at halftime. Marple made a jumper, McMahon followed with a lay-up and then senior forward Tessa Pucello (Syracuse, N.Y./Solvay) buried a three-pointer off a feed from Marple.