NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - Niagara women's basketball struggled from the field and fell to Merrimack 71-56 on Saturday, dropping its fourth consecutive contest.
 
How it Happened
The Purple Eagles (1-9, 0-2) shot 33.8 percent from the floor and were dominated on the glass, getting out-rebounded 51-31 by the Warriors (6-5, 2-0), who were led by Thalia Shepard's 20 points and Mia Fiore's 17.
 
Safiatu Kolliegbo led Niagara with 17 points, going 7-for-17 from the field. Talia Dial added 11 points including three 3-pointers in the loss.
 
Niagara fell behind early, trailing 17-8 after the first quarter, and could never fully recover despite outscoring Merrimack 21-16 in the second period to make it a four-point game at the break.
 
The Warriors pulled away in the second half behind Thalia Shepard's 20 points and Mia Fiore's 17. Madison Roman dominated the glass with 19 rebounds for Merrimack.
 
The loss drops Niagara to 0-2 in conference play.
 
Niagara Notes
• Saturday marked the first-ever meeting between Niagara and Merrimack.
• The Purple and White matched their season-high with five blocked shots.
• Niagara forced Merrimack into 29 turnovers, marking the sixth game this season with at least 29 turnovers by its opponent.
• Kolliegbo averaged 22.0 points in her first two career MAAC games this weekend.
 
Up Next
Niagara will return to the Gallagher Center on Jan. 4 for a 1 p.m. contest against Mount St. Mary's.