Box Score BRISTOL, R.I. – Led by junior Megan Ronaghan's (North Attleboro, Mass.) 21 points, the UMass Dartmouth women's basketball team was able to quell a late surge by Roger Williams on Monday evening and pick up a 60-46 non-conference victory.
Ronaghan led all scorers on the evening, securing her total on 7-of-12 (58 percent) shooting and a 7-of-8 performance from the charity stripe while snagging eight rebounds in a dominating effort on the glass for the Corsairs. UMass Dartmouth out-rebounded the Hawks 53-37 on the night, with senior Colleen Kane (Arlington, Mass.) putting forth a season-high effort on the boards, collecting 10 rebounds.
Sophomore Alicia Kutil (Franklin, Mass.) posted 10 points with seven rebounds. Also grabbing seven boards was freshman Nakira Examond (New Bedford, Mass.), who contributed nine points.
It took only four minutes of play for UMass Dartmouth to secure the lead it would not relinquish for the remainder of the contest. With 2:24 remaining in the first quarter, a Kutil layup put the visitors up 12-11. The margin would climb to a six-point advantage to end the quarter thanks to 12 points in the paint.
The Corsairs expanded upon the lead in the second quarter. With Ronaghan's 15 points in the first half, UMass Dartmouth was able to capitalize on second-chance opportunities and ride an 11-point lead into the break, leading 32-21.
UMass Dartmouth surged again to begin the second half, opening play on a 3-point bucket from senior Beth Castantini (Newburyport, Mass.) to kick off an 8-2 run. The Hawks were able to slow the bleeding, bringing the margin back down to 14 to end the third quarter.
The fourth quarter featured much of the same until the 5:47 mark, when a Roger Williams timeout sparked a 7-0 Hawk run over the course of the next two minutes, capped by a 3-pointer from Anna Walther (Northampton, Mass.). The bucket cut the Corsair lead to 10 with three minutes remaining, but a three-point play from UMass Dartmouth freshman Danyel Gonzalez (Providence, R.I.) ended the Hawks' streak.
A free throw and layup from Examond over the final minute and a half then solidified the win.
For the Hawks, Angelica Ariola (Prospect, Conn.) paced the scoring column with 13, while junior Bridget Quilty (Duxbury, Mass.) added a 10-point, 15-rebound double-double.
Next up for the Corsairs (9-3, 1-2 LEC) will be Eastern Connecticut, which will make the trip the Dartmouth on Wednesday. Game time is slated for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.
