Box Score DARTMOUTH, Mass. – An 18-28 (64 percent) shooting effort along with 21 rebounds in the second half turned the tides on Saturday at the Tripp Center, as Western Connecticut earned a comeback victory over UMass Dartmouth, 76-65.
Despite a 29-point performance by junior Megan Ronaghan (North Attleboro, Mass.) including 17 in the first half, the Colonials dominated the stat sheet in the final 20 minutes of play to overcome a 37-30 deficit at halftime.
Five Western Connecticut players recorded double-figure scoring marks on the game, led by a pair of 13-point efforts from freshman Tashai Price (Vernon, Conn.) and junior Samantha Smith (Wallingford, Conn.). The Colonials also received an 11-point, eight-rebound, seven-assist effort from senior guard Kerri Stolle (Warren, Conn.)
Ronaghan's night was backed by sophomore Alicia Kutil (Franklin, Mass.) who contributed 13 points and senior Beth Castantini (Newburyport, Mass.) who added 10 points with six boards. Sophomore point guard Chelsea Houlihan (Wolcott, Conn.) led the squad with seven rebounds, six assists and three steals.
The Corsairs jumped out to a quick start, firing off a 13-3 run to begin the afternoon. Ronaghan was on point, going 3-4 in the first ten minutes. Western Connecticut gained a few back to close the quarter thanks to a Smith 3-pointer and Stolle foul shots.
The second quarter was much of the same, as Rongahan simply could not miss, going 5-6 from the field to tally 10 points in as many minutes. UMass Dartmouth went up by as much as 12 at 7:07, but the Colonials would not go quietly into the locker room. Thirteen Colonial bench points helped the visitors to just a seven-point deficit at the break.
Western Connecticut then came out firing on all cylinders, securing seven quick unanswered points to start the second half and tie the score at 37. Baskets were traded for the next four minutes, until a layup from Kayla Croswell (Norwalk, Conn.) gave the visitors their first lead of the game.
That lead would slowly build for the rest of the contest. After owning a one-point advantage to start the fourth quarter, the Colonials missed only two baskets over the next six minutes to jump up 69-58. UMass Dartmouth edged back within seven with a minute left off a Castantini 3-pointer, but a Smith steal and corresponding Stolle free throws capped a 9-of-14 final stanza.
The Colonials outrebounded the Corsairs by 10 in the second half and saw a total team effort that included 36 bench points to UMass Dartmouth's seven. Western Connecticut remains tied atop the Little East Conference standings with an 8-2 slate in league play while UMass Dartmouth slips to 4-6 in the conference.
UMass Dartmouth seeks a season-sweep against Rhode Island College at home on Wednesday at 5:30, while Western Connecticut meets fellow LEC leader Eastern Connecticut for the first-place battle at the same time.
