Clarendon edges Adams State JV women despite Boyer, Merriman double-doubles

Bulldogs, Grizzlies to meet in rematch Monday night at Plachy Hall

ALAMOSA - Playing at Plachy Hall for the first time in Adams State Division II era history, the Grizzly women's JV basketball team received double-doubles from junior Tay Merriman (Inglewood, Calif.) and sophomore Autumn Boyer (South Sioux City, Neb.), but a late 3-pointer by Clarendon (Texas) College's Nikki Sylvester with just over one minute remaining lifted the Bulldogs to a 88-85 win.

The loss dropped the Grizzlies to 0-3 this season, while the Bulldogs improved to 6-3.

Sunday evening's contest was close throughout, as neither team led by more than nine points at any time, and five players on each team reached double-digits in points.

Boyer was the game's leading scorer, amassing 25 points on 11-of-28 shooting and added 14 rebounds. Her first 10 points came during a 4 minute and 40 second span of the first half in which she scored 10 straight points for the Grizzlies, the last of which gave ASC its largest lead of the first half.

Merriman added 11 points for the Grizzlies while grabbing 13 boards. Redshirt freshman Alyssa Smith (Longmont, Colo.) and freshmen Shelby Janz (Cortez, Colo.) and Kelly Hillick (Colorado Springs, Colo.) added double-digits points as well. Smith put in 14, Hillick scored 10 and Janz, who hit the Grizzlies only 3-pointer, accounted for 13.

The Bulldogs, who were 12-of-51 (23.5 percent) from 3-point range in the game, hit a pair of triples and outscored the Grizzlies 12-4 over the final 3:45 of the first half to take a 38-37 lead into the locker room.

The lead changed eight times over the final 16-plus minutes after Clarendon earned its largest lead of the game by seven points with 16:59 remaining.

The Grizzlies outrebounded the Bulldogs, 67-63, but Clarendon, which held the advantage in offensive boards, grabbed a pair of crucial caroms in the final minute while leading by just one. The Bulldogs' Asrelle Anderson and Audri Jarmillo each grabbed offensive boards to keep the ball away from the Grizzlies, allowing Jarmillo the opportunity to put Clarendon up by three with 26 seconds remaining, forcing the ASC to go for three.

Boyer had the ball in her hands and got off a shot with four seconds on the clock, but was unable to connec.

The Grizzlies and Bulldogs will be back in action for a rematch on Monday night at 7 p.m. in Plachy Hall, as the Adams State JV women's basketball team continues to search for its first win of the season. Fans who can't make it to Plachy Hall can still catch all the action via live stats by clicking here.

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