NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass.—UMass Boston women's basketball used a 15-0 run to close out the first quarter and never looked back, in a 78-67 Little East Conference win over intra-state rival UMass Dartmouth.
THE BASICS
UMass Boston 78, UMass Dartmouth 67
(UMass Boston 10-8, Little East 3-5)
(UMass Dartmouth 12-6, Little East 3-5)
HOW IT HAPPENED
In a rematch of the 2015 Little East Conference semifinals, sophomore guard Grace Geary (Falmouth, Mass.) tied her season-high with 27 points, to help the Beacons snap a three-game, conference-losing streak.
The reigning Little East Conference Rookie of the Year knocked down 8-of-11 shots from the field, 4-of-6 from distance and 7-of-9 shots from the free throw line, to reach the 27-point mark for the third-time in her career. She also added four assists, four steals and two rebounds in 27 minutes. Last season, she netted a career-high 28 points, in the Beacons' lone trip to UMass Dartmouth.
Senior Olivia Murphy (Canton, Mass.) added 19 points and six rebounds, while Katie Mathieu (Coventry, Conn.) chipped in 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Off the bench, Raven Kelsey (Boston, Mass.) provided a spark for UMass Boston, with eight points, four rebounds and two assists.
Defending Little East Conference Player of the Year Megan Ronaghan had a huge day of her own for the Corsairs, as she recorded 26 points and a game-high eight points. Beth Castantini (17 points) and Alicia Kutil (13 points) were the only other Corsairs to finish in double-digits, as the rest of the team combined for 11 points.
After falling behind 6-2 in the early going, UMass Boston used a 15-0 run to close out the first quarter to earn a 24-10 lead after one.
Kelsey knocked down two free throws with 5:12 remaining to give the Beacons an 11-10 lead and then Geary and Murphy combined to score the next 12-straight points. Geary drained a pair of 3-pointers, sandwiched around three Murphy baskets, to make it 23-10 in favor of UMass Boston. Junior Taje Burston (Springfield, Mass.) capped off the run with a made free throw with 25 seconds left to make it a 14-point edge.
UMass Dartmouth mounted a comeback run in the second quarter, as they outscored the Beacons 20-13 in the quarter to cut the deficit to 37-30 at the break.
The Corsairs kept the run going to start the third quarter, as Ronaghan's made layup with 6:01 to go to cut the deficit to 43-40. Geary and Kelsey answered right back for the Beacons though, as Geary made a layup and a jump shot and Kelsey added a lay-in.
UMass Dartmouth made it a two-score game one last time, on a 3-pointer from Castantini early in the fourth, but the Beacons were up to the test. This time Murphy, Geary and Chantel Jordan (Brockton, Mass.) combined for a 6-0 run to put the game out of reach for good.
BY THE NUMBERS
- UMass Boston shot a season-high 48.1 percent (26-of-54) from the field and a season-high 80.0 percent (20-of-25) from the free-throw line. The Beacons also just missed out on the their-season high from distance, as they hit 6-of-13 (46.2 percent) of their 3-point attempts.
- The Beacons earned a 28-14 edge in points in the paint and a 13-3 edge in bench points.
- With the win, UMass Boston improved to 25-41 all-time against the Corsairs and earned their fourth win in the past six meetings.
- In three career games against the Corsairs, Geary has averaged 25.33 points and five assists per game.
WHO'S NEXT
UMass Boston will travel to Keene State College on Saturday at 1 p.m., as they look to close out January with a winning record. Thus far, the Beacons are 4-4 on the month.