Box Score SALEM, Mass. – University of Massachusetts Dartmouth senior Kelsey Garrity (Somerville, Mass.) scored 20 points and handed out five assists to lead the Corsairs to an 81-52 victory over Salem State University this evening inside the Twohig Gymnasium.
UMass Dartmouth, winners of a season-high seven straight games, improve to 16-4 on the season, while the Vikings fell to 2-16.
Salem State scored the opening five points to help the Vikings earn their largest advantage of the contest. However, trailing 9-7, Garrity hit a layup that helped spur a 13-1 Corsairs' run as Bri Hochwarter (Attleboro, Mass.) accounted for eight of the points from the outside, which included two three-pointers. Suddenly facing a 22-10 deficit, Salem State turned up the pressure in the backcourt, and following three turnovers and a missed shot, the Vikings cut the lead to just six points, 22-16 as Savanah Spinney (Everett, Mass.) and Maggie Reilly (Worcester, Mass.) combined for eight straight points. A free throw by Reilly reduced the margin to just five, but a 9-1 run highlighted by four points from Erin Fahey (Salem, Mass.) and a three-pointer by Leah Douty (Framingham, Mass.) restored order, as UMass Dartmouth built a 37-27 halftime lead, despite shooting just 26.7 percent (4-for-15)from behind the arc.
The Corsairs dominated the second half, led by Alicia Kutil (Franklin, Mass.), who had nine points despite being held scoreless in the first. UMass Dartmouth quickly extended its lead to 17 points, 46-29 at the 17:33 mark, scoring nine straight points, culminating in a three-pointer by Colleen Kane (Arlington, Mass.). Salem State, which struggled offensively in the first half, shooting just 33.3 percent (10-for-30), continued their offensive woes in the second half, as the Vikings managed just seven second half field goals.
Taking advantage, the Corsairs held Salem State without a point for over four minutes in building a commanding 50-32 lead before Carter broke the streak with a layup at the 12:49 mark. The lead hovered around the 20-point margin as both teams lived at the free throw line as 45 fouls were called between the two teams.
UMass Dartmouth held Salem state to just five points over the final 4:02 before settling for an 81-52 victory. The Corsairs shot 72 percent (18-for-25) from the line and outrebounded the Vikings 54-40.
Fahey posted a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds, while Hochwarter scored 14 points off the bench.
UMass Dartmouth will return to action at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, when the Corsairs host Little East Conference rival University of Southern Maine.
