The Merrimack Warriors women’s basketball team is preparing to travel to New York for a matchup against Marist after securing a place in the upcoming conference tournament in Atlantic City. The team clinched its spot following a decisive win over Rider last Saturday, where they held their opponent to under 40 points—a defensive milestone achieved only twice in the past two seasons.
Over their last 13 games, the Warriors have won 10 and limited opponents to fewer than 60 points in eight of those contests. Senior Lydia Melaschenko broke the single-season program record for three-pointers with her 77th shot from beyond the arc during the third quarter against Rider. Madison Roman has recorded double-doubles in 13 games this season and has scored double digits in each of her last 13 appearances.
In their previous game against Sacred Heart, Merrimack secured a comfortable 22-point victory. During that match, Melaschenko hit six three-pointers and finished with 22 points, while Roman contributed 21 points.
Melaschenko currently leads both the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and the nation in three-pointers per game, averaging 3.35. She made four three-pointers against Rider to set her new record and has connected on five per game over her last six outings. Last month, she hit eight threes in back-to-back games, falling just one short of another program benchmark.
Madison Roman leads the MAAC in rebounds and recently grabbed 15 boards during Merrimack’s win over Rider. She has also shot over 50 percent from the field for three consecutive games and posted her highest rebounding total—22—in a recent contest against Saint Peter’s.
Graduate student Oralye Kiefer is leading the conference in blocks at an average of 2.43 per game and ranks tenth nationally in that category. Kiefer reached a career-high of 22 points against Iona two weeks ago by shooting six-for-nine from three-point range and has tallied at least two blocks in four of her last six appearances.
Defensively, Merrimack has held opponents under 60 points ten times across their last thirteen games and under seventy points eleven times during that stretch. Roman leads all players in defensive rebounds within the conference with a total of 173, while Paloma Garcia is fifth overall with fifty steals this season. As a team, Merrimack tops the MAAC with ninety blocked shots—fifty credited to Kiefer.
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