Box Score PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Despite a 26-point, 13-rebound double-double by junior Alicia Kutil (Franklin, Mass.), the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth couldn't overcome a slow start in the first half, ultimately slipping to host Johnson & Wales 54-48 on Tuesday.
The Basics
Score: Johnson & Wales 54, UMass Dartmouth 48
Records: Johnson & Wales (5-4) | UMass Dartmouth (7-2)
How it Happened
After a first quarter that saw only 17 combined points and 3-of-16 shooting from the field by the Corsairs, Johnson & Wales gained ground on the visitors by more than doubling its opening-frame point total in the second. The Wildcats went on an 8-0 run midway through the quarter, and back-to-back jumpers by Ashley Thompson (Bellingham, Mass.) put the hosts up 10. Using nine points off turnovers, JWU carried a 30-19 lead into half.
Kutil would then dial up her play to a new level in the second half, registering 20 points in the final 20 minutes. The junior recorded eight of UMass Dartmouth's first 12 points of the third quarter along with three blocks to cut her squad's deficit to just three. In the fourth, Kutil again anchored the Corsairs' comeback attempt with nine of her team's first 11 points in the stanza, this time narrowing the Wildcats' lead to 44-43. UMass Dartmouth would bring the margin within two on two more occasions within the final minute of play, but JWU sunk all four of its free-throw attempts in the final three seconds to hold off the Corsairs.
Inside the Numbers
- Kutil's 26 (11-for-23) marked her second-highest career total, just shy of the 29 she scored against Roger Williams on Nov. 22. Her game-high 13 boards and five blocks both set career-highs for the junior.
- Sophomore Nakira Examond (New Bedford, Mass.) also tallied 13 rebounds, tying her career-high, and with nine points was the only other Corsair to total above six on the night.
- The Corsairs continued to out-rebound their opponents, this time registering 54 boards to JWU's 39 on the game, but were outdone by 27 turnovers.
- Johnson & Wales saw four players hit 10 points on the contest, and four players gathered six rebounds for the hosts.
- The Wildcats have now secured three-straight against the Corsairs dating back to 2013, and hold the series advantage at 9-7 overall.
Up Next
The Corsairs will break for the holidays and return to the court on Thursday, Dec. 29 for the opening round of the Babson-Wellesley Tournament against the Blue at 1 p.m.
