Box Score BOSTON – Three University of Massachusetts Dartmouth players surpassed the 20-point mark, giving their squad enough spark to negate 21 turnovers as the Corsairs found a way to squeeze by UMass Boston 73-68 at the Clark Athletic Center on Wednesday.
The Basics
Score: UMass Dartmouth 73, UMass Boston 68
Records: UMass Dartmouth (15-3, 6-2 LEC) | UMass Boston (8-10, 4-4 LEC)
How it Happened
It took nearly a full quarter for either team to pad a lead, which UMass Boston seized first. At 2:20 in the opening quarter, Michaela Ilebode (Malden, Mass.) capped an 8-0 Beacon run to put the hosts up seven. UMass Dartmouth scored the next five points, and entered the second quarter down three before sophomore Nakira Examond (New Bedford, Mass.) went to work. Despite her seven points in the frame, UMass Boston would build a six-point lead before the midway break.
The Corsairs picked up the pace and dialed up the pressure to start the second frame. After UMass Boston's Taje Burston (Springfield, Mass.) opened the third with a 3-pointer, UMass Dartmouth erased its deficit with a 12-0 run including six points by junior Alicia Kutil (Franklin, Mass.). For the remainder of the stanza, Kutil and senior Rachel McCarron (Groton, Mass.) combined for 17 points to push the Corsairs up as much as 10.
The Beacons, however, would not stay away. UMass Boston clawed its way back in the fourth, taking advantage of Corsair turnovers and getting to the charity stripe. At 2:20, Raven Kelsey (Boston, Mass.) stepped out to nail a 3-point basket and Burston notched a lay-up on the trip back down, cutting UMass Dartmouth's lead to a single possession. The Corsairs reached the foul line over the next minute, pushing the margin back to eight points, and in the final 30 seconds UMass Dartmouth again received points from both Kutil and McCarron to hold off the Beacons' final push.
Inside the Numbers
- Examond (22 points), McCarron (21 points) and Kutil (20 points) combined for all but 10 of UMass Dartmouth's points and 32 of 49 rebounds on the game. McCarron and Kutil carried the Corsairs in the second half, each registering 15 points over the final two quarters.
- With her game-high 22 points (9-of-13 shooting) and 16 boards, Examond extends her double-double streak to five straight games, all in LEC competition, and tallies her seventh of the season.
- McCarron has registered at least 16 points in five of UMass Dartmouth's last seven outings, and rounded out her stat line with seven rebounds, a team-high four assists and two steals.
- The Corsairs reached the free throw line a season-high 29 times on the game, making 18 (62 percent) to outdo UMass Boston's 55 percent (11-of-20) performance.
- UMass Dartmouth has now won two-straight at UMass Boston and tops the overall series at 44-26.
Up Next
UMass Dartmouth returns home for Saturday, hosting Plymouth State and seeking a season-sweep of the Panthers at 1 p.m.
