Box Score DANBURY, Conn. – An 8-2 run over the final three minutes of play was enough to hold of Western Connecticut, as the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth extended its winning streak to seven games including six in Little East Conference play with a 66-56 decision at Feldman Arena on Saturday.
The Basics
Score: UMass Dartmouth 66, Western Connecticut 56
Records: UMass Dartmouth (18-3, 8-2 LEC) | Western Connecticut (13-8, 5-5)
How it Happened
The Corsairs set the tone from the beginning and never trailed, jumping out to a 14-2 start from the opening tip. After a block on the defensive end by junior Rybecca Gonzalez (Providence, R.I.), classmate Chelsea Houlihan (Wolcott, Conn.) connected on a foul shot to push UMass Dartmouth up 12 at 6:20 in the first quarter. The Colonials cut into the lead with less than a minute left, but Houlihan again answered with a traditional three-point play to end the frame with a 25-15 advantage for the visitors.
Midway through the second, the Corsairs fell upon a cold streak as WCSU's Samantha Smith (Wallingford, Conn.) ignited a small Colonial run with a 3-point bucket. With under a minute remaining another Colonial 3-pointer, this time by Gabrielle Hurlbert (Thomaston, Conn.), narrowed the deficit to just three points, but UMass Dartmouth senior Rachel McCarron (Groton, Mass.) notched a lay-up to halt her team's six-minute dry spell. The Corsairs carried a 35-30 lead into halftime.
UMass Dartmouth then duplicated its opening start to begin the third quarter, this time using a 9-0 run including four McCarron points to bounce back ahead by double-digits. The lead would build to as much as 14 before the final quarter, but again the Corsairs would hit a wall before all was said and done. It would take nearly five minutes into the fourth quarter for UMass Dartmouth to find the basket, and WCSU was able to sneak within four points with 2:56 remaining on a Smith lay-up.
The basket would be the last points the Colonials would register, as Houlihan laid the ball in on the next possession, and sophomore Nakira Examond (New Bedford, Mass.) did the same seconds later. Down the stretch, junior Alicia Kutil (Franklin, Mass.) and McCarron would each sink a pair of free throws to pad the lead for good.
Inside the Numbers
- UMass Dartmouth has now won seven-straight for the second time in five seasons, with the last such win streak extending from Nov. 30, 2012 to Jan. 5, 2013. The Corsairs finished the 2012-13 season 20-8 overall.
- Examond returned to double-double output after two games off, leading all players with 20 points on 9-of-12 from the field and 12 rebounds.
- Kutil and McCarron rounded out the Corsairs' double-digit scorers, totaling 15 and 10 points, respectively.
- The Corsairs generated a lights-out first quarter, converting on 10-of-15 (66 percent) chances from the field, while Western Connecticut shot just 5-of-17 (29 percent) during the frame.
- Western Connecticut generated 22 points oFf 21 UMass Dartmouth turnovers, but the Corsairs outdid the hosts by 20 points in the paint on the contest.
- The Colonials were paced by Smith's stat line of 14 points, nine boards and four assists.
- UMass Dartmouth gathers a season-sweep of Western Connecticut for the second time in three seasons, are now 14-39 against the Colonials since 1993.
Up Next
UMass Dartmouth sticks to the road, traveling to Rhode Island College on Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. start before returning home for Senior Day on Saturday, Feb. 11.
