WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – The University of Massachusetts Boston scored 70 percent of its points in the paint and capitalized on 16 Eastern Connecticut State University turnovers to score 22 points as the Beacons managed a split of the Little East Conference season series with a 69-51 victory Saturday afternoon at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.
Scoring multiple points on breakaways and uncontested layups, UMass (7-11, 4-5 LEC) held Eastern (7-11, 6-3 LEC) to under 54 points for the third straight game. Eastern's loss coupled with the University of Southern Maine's 58-47 road win over Keene State College leaves the Warriors and Huskies sharing third place in the conference, two games behind Rhode Island College and 2 ½ games behind unbeaten leader University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
On the heels of a season-high three-game winning streak, Eastern has dropped two straight (LEC) games. The victory snaps a 12-game losing streak for UMass Boston at the hands of the Warriors. The Beacons have alternated wins and loss in their last ten games.
A steal by Sabanna Berrios and resulting breakaway layup by Hialeah Foster in the closing seconds of the first quarter gave UMass the lead for good (15-14) after one quarter. Eastern senior guard Kya Mayo's (Middletown) fifth and final three-point field goal of the game helped the Warriors come back from a seven-point deficit midway through the second quarter to pull to within one (28-27) before the Beacons closed the half on a 9-3 run – getting points from four different players. In that decisive run, Eastern missed three of four shots and turned the ball over twice.
Leading by seven points at the half, UMass scored 12 straight points early in the third quarter – getting all four of its buckets in the paint and using Berrios' four free throws to ignite, then cap, the scoring run that pushed the Beacons' lead to 15 (49-34) midway through the third quarter.
Berrios, who did not play in Eastern 64-53 win at UMass Dec. 7, led all players with 26 points and 13 rebounds. She was 11-of-22 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the stripe. Sibayla Jensen added 13 points and four assists and Tatiannah Fevery 11 points and three assists.
Mayo, who was 6-of-11 from the floor (5-of-9 from distance) in the first half and 1-of-9 from the floor (0-of-6 from distance) in the second, finished with a career-high 19 points, with first-year point guard Liv Cassesse (Wallingford) adding 16 points and a season-tying 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Senior forward Taylor Salato (East Haven) had nine points and nine rebounds.
Eastern hosts the UMass Dartmouth Wednesday at 5 p.m.