Box Score KEENE, N.H. – In the Corsairs' first road game of the season, underclassmen Shaelyn Carreiro (Fall River, Mass.) and Meagan Donovan (Abington, Mass.) combined for 30 points to lead UMass Dartmouth to a 70-43 victory over Keene State at the Spalding Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. The Corsairs (7-1, 3-0 LEC) extend their perfect conference slate to 19 consecutive wins, going back to the 2016-17 season.
How It Happened
- Junior Kayla McMahon (Hanover, Mass.) and senior Nakira Examond (New Bedford, Mass.) split the offensive load in the early going, combining for seven points to take a 7-4 lead. Keene State (2-8, 0-3 LEC) came back on a fast break led by sophomore Lilly Shlimon (Pelham, N.H.), hitting the trailing Hien Thach (Burlington, Vt.) for a game-tying three from the left wing.
- UMass Dartmouth would create some space by going for seven unanswered, with Donovan sparking the rally with a three ball of her own. The Corsairs concluded the opening frame with a 17-13 advantage.
- It would take until the 7:17 mark of the second stanza for either team to collect a field goal, with the scoreboard not needing a second revision for another three minutes when Keene junior Kenzie Bennett (Lake George, N.Y.) sunk both of her free throws to cut the deficit to four (19-15). A made jumper from beyond the arc by Owl senior Emily McPadden (Tyngsboro, Mass.) crept the hosts within one (25-24) heading into the intermission.
- The Corsairs overcame their early struggles as soon as they took the floor for the third, bursting for seven points in 48 seconds. A pair of made free throws by Carreiro extended the lead to double-digits (34-24) before Keene's Jordyn Burke (Bennington, Vt.) got the team's first bucket of the quarter with 6:57 on the board.
- Rapid ball movement for the Blue and Gold opened up the lane for McMahon to finish a layup from the left block, padding the margin to 50-31, with just under a minute remaining. UMass Dartmouth wrapped up the penultimate stanza by outscoring the opposition by a 25-7 clip.
Inside The Numbers
- Both teams were hurt by turnovers early and often, combining for 28 errors in the first half alone.
- Carreiro's 16 were a game-high this afternoon and now accounts for a new career-high, surpassing her previous best of 15 from Nov. 20's win against Roger Williams. The first-year forward was near perfect from the charity stripe, going 10-12, while adding a pair of boards and dimes in 18 minutes.
- Donovan remains a consistent threat from the perimeter as she has made at least a trio of three's in four straight games. The sophomore currently sits at fifth in the Little East with a three-point shooting percentage of 41.5.
- McPadden led the hosts on offense, chipping in 10, while Bennett collected seven missed shots in the battle.
- Examond tallied her fifth double-double of the season in the third quarter, wrapping up the affair with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
- UMass Dartmouth took advantage of Keene State miscues, scoring 27 points off of such scenarios. The Corsairs tied their season-high of 16 steals, first recorded in the Lafrance Hospitality Classic opener against Coast Guard.
Up Next
The Corsairs remain on the road to take on regional rival Johnson & Wales University at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Keene State will rest up for the next few weeks until its Dec. 29 clash at Middlebury beginning at 2 p.m.
(Recap By Kyle Diangkinay '19, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant)
(Photo Credit: Rainier Almonte '19)
