Box Score BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior Beth Castantini (Newburyport, Mass.) and freshman Nakira Examond (New Bedford, Mass.) turned out 23 points apiece Tuesday evening to lead the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth women's basketball team past Bridgewater State, 76-58.
With the victory, UMD improves to 6-0 for the first time since the 1989-90 season. Tuesday also marks the program's first win over the nearby Bears since Dec. 7, 2004, snapping a 10-game losing streak.
Examond posted the strongest performance of her UMD career thus far, registering her second double-double with 11 rebounds (6 offensive) while connecting on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. Castantini shot 7-of-16, including three 3-pointers and a 6-of-6 performance from the charity stripe.
In addition, sophomore Chelsea Houlihan (Wolcott, Conn.) nearly recorded a triple-double, finishing with 10 points, nine boards and a game-high eight assists, hitting UMD career-highs in all three categories.
After owning a 22-13 lead after the first quarter following a 13-3 run, the Corsairs used a 16-0 streak to close the half to enter the break with a commanding 40-19 lead. Castantini registered 17 of her points in the first stanza, including all three 3-pointers. UMass Dartmouth outscored the Bears 18-5 in the second quarter.
Bridgewater State rebounded with increased offensive production in the second half. The Bears rattled off a 7-0 run of their own to begin the half, and cut the lead to as little as 10 in the fourth quarter. A made bucket from long range by sophomore Jennifer Whyte (Braintree, Mass.) put the score at 57-47 with 6:24 remaining, but the Corsairs responded with six-straight points, four from Examond and two from Castantini, to put the game out of reach.
On the night, UMass Dartmouth shot 46 percent from the field, its highest team mark of the season, while holding Bridgewater State to 36 percent shooting. The Corsairs dominated the boards, outrebounding the Bears 48-26 and recording 19 second-chance points.
In the post, junior Megan Ronaghan (North Attleboro, Mass.) and sophomore Alicia Kutil (Franklin, Mass.) each added eight points, with Kutil snatching seven boards.
Whyte scored a career-high 16 points for the Bears, while Chanelle Melton (Brockton, Mass.) added 13 and Jennie Lindland (Edgartown, Mass.) scored 12 points with six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and four steals.
The Corsairs will play their second-straight road contest on Thursday as they travel to meet Worcester State at Assumption College at 7 p.m.
