Box Score DARTMOUTH, Mass. – University of Massachusetts Dartmouth senior Rachel McCarron (Groton, Mass.) hit a jumper as time expired to cap a 15-1 Corsair run in the last 2:50 of play, breaking the tied score and stealing a 68-66 win over UMass Boston at the Tripp Athletic Center on Wednesday evening.
The Basics
Score: UMass Dartmouth 68, UMass Boston 66
Records: UMass Dartmouth (20-4, 10-3 LEC) | UMass Boston (9-15, 5-8 LEC)
How it Happened
Both teams stumbled early, combining for 31 turnovers in the first half while the Corsairs went just 8-of-32 from the field. The Beacons found a semblance of control late in the opening quarter, closing the frame with a 7-0 run to jump ahead by three points. In the second, the momentum continued to swing the visitors' way, and junior Katie Mathieu (Coventry, Conn.) secured the game's largest lead thus far at 22-15 at 5:45 with a layup. Beacon senior Chantel Jordan (Brockton, Mass.) delivered 13 points in the first half to lead all scorers and give UMass Boston a six-point advantage at the break.
UMass Boston held its lead through the third quarter despite both teams turning up the offensive production. UMass Dartmouth rallied with an 8-0 run to cut within one when sophomore Nakira Examond (New Bedford, Mass.) registered a fast-break layup at 2:37, but the Beacons answered with a 10-4 streak to enter the final frame.
With a 12-4 Beacon run to start the fourth quarter, UMass Boston seemingly put the game out of reach with a 63-48 lead and only six minutes left. But after Taje Burston (Springfield, Mass.) notched a pair of foul shots with the clock at 2:52, the Beacons wouldn't see another field goal for the remainder of the contest.
Examond scored at 1:29, narrowing the deficit to 10, and junior Alicia Kutil (Franklin, Mass.) was the next scorer, hitting two foul shots before stepping out for a 3-pointer at 1:09. UMass Boston couldn't connect on back-to-back shots, leaving the door open, and after Mathieu hit just one of two free throws with 18 ticks left, Examond buried both of her tries. On the in-bound at 12 seconds, a Beacon turnover put the ball in the hands of the Corsairs, and junior Leah Douty (Framingham, Mass.) found an open McCarron near the far sideline for the deciding basket.
Inside the Numbers
- With the win, UMass Dartmouth becomes just the second team in program history to reach the 20-win mark, joining the 2012-13 Corsairs who finished at 20-8 overall.
- After not reaching 30 percent accuracy from the field in the first half, UMass Dartmouth improved to 17-of-31 shooting in the final two quarters.
- In the fourth quarter, the Corsairs went 6-of-7 from the foul line, while UMass Boston could connect on only 6 of 12 tries from the stripe.
- Examond and Kutil were the second-half difference makers, with Examond registering 15 points in the final two quarters and Kutil 10. Kutil finished with a game-high 22 points and team-high eight rebounds, while Examond totaled 17 points.
- Senior Adi Alicea-Cordero (Dorchester, Mass.) rounded out her stat line on a solid outing with 3-of-4 shooting from the field, totaling eight points with four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
- Jordan and Mathieu paced the Beacons with 17 points apiece, with Raven Kelsey (Boston, Mass.) tallying a 10-points, 11-rebound double-double.
- UMass Dartmouth is now winners of three-straight against the Beacons, and rise to 45-26 all-time against its in-state rival.
Up Next
The Corsairs, currently ranked No. 6 in the Northeast Regional Rankings, head to Southern Maine on Saturday for the final contest of the regular season at 1 p.m. UMass Boston treks to regular-season champion Eastern Connecticut at the same time.
