Box Score DANBURY, Conn. – Despite a strong third quarter effort, the UMass Dartmouth women's basketball team fell short on the road on Saturday, dropping a 70-60 Little East Conference decision to Western Connecticut at Feldman Arena.
Junior Megan Ronaghan (North Attleboro, Mass.) paced the Corsairs on the day, registering 11 points with five rebounds, while senior Colleen Kane (Arlington, Mass.) contributed nine points with a season-high eight boards.
Three additional Corsairs, including sophomore Chelsea Houlihan (Wolcott, Conn.), freshman Danyel Gonzalez (Providence, R.I.) and freshman Nakira Examond (New Bedford, Mass.) added eight points apiece, while Houlihan also snagged eight boards.
Junior Emily Dobson (Westerly, R.I.) led five Colonials in double figures on the evening, scoring 16 points while gathering a game-high 11 boards. Freshman Kayla Croswell (Norwalk, Conn.) added 12 points while Kerri Stolle (Warren, Conn.) and Jancy Sherwood (Poughquag, N.Y.) scored 11 and Kaitlyn LaBonte (South Windsor, Conn.) contributed 10 points in the win.
Offense was hard to come by for UMass Dartmouth, as the Corsairs shot 38 percent from the floor (26-of-68) and 8-of-19 (42 percent) from the foul line. The Colonials registered 27-of-63 (43 percent) shooting while converting on 8-of-14 (57 percent) free throws.
Western Connecticut jumped out to an 11-point advantage in the first quarter, registering 11 points off Corsair turnovers in the first stanza alone. The Colonials were able to hold the lead throughout the second quarter and carry a 34-23 lead into the locker room.
The Corsairs then mounted a strong comeback in the third quarter, beginning the stanza on a 13-5 run to cut the lead to only three. That margin stayed within six for the remainder of the quarter, as the Corsairs were able to drop 12 points in the paint while outscoring Western Connecticut 22-15.
UMass Dartmouth continued the momentum until the final two minutes of the contest, when a layup from Dobson and free throws from Stolle and Croswell put the game out of reach with only 40 seconds left.
The Corsairs, now 8-3 overall and 1-2 in LEC play, will look to return to the win column next week at Roger Williams at 6 p.m. on Monday before continuing conference contests.
