Box Score MEDFORD, Mass. -- Senior Erica DeCandido (North Wales, Pa.) notched a double-double effort of 20 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and three steals to lead top-ranked Tufts to a 73-43 non-league college women's basketball victory over UMass Dartmouth Saturday afternoon at Cousens Gymnasium.
The host Jumbos (11-0) overcame a six-point first quarter deficit to take a one-point edge (16-15) after the opening 10 minutes of play, and five quick points from junior Angela Alibrandi (Westford, Mass.) sparked a 23-point second quarter outburst that gave Tufts a 39-26 edge at the break. Junior Emily Briggs (Canton, Conn.) netted six points in the third stanza as the Jumbos scored 15 of the 19 points combined in the frame to grab a 54-30 advantage heading into the fourth quarter, as the hosts led by as much as 36 in the closing minutes of action.
Briggs added 16 points for Tufts, which received 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists from sophomore Molly Ryan (Westfield, N.J.). Nine of the 13 Jumbos dressed for the contest scored at least two points on the day, as the hosts shot 41 percent (28-68) from the field and held a 55-30 rebounding advantage (21-11 on the offensive glass) en route to their triumph.
Senior Ashley Brown (New Bedford, Mass.) matched DeCandido's game-high scoring effort with 20 points and eight rebounds in the setback for the visiting Corsairs (7-5), who received eight points each from junior Lauren Empey (Middleboro, Mass.) and sophomore Shaelyn Carreiro (Fall River, Mass.). Freshman Brianna Craig (Monroe, Conn.) and sophomore Jessica Carroll (Deep River, Conn.) combined for seven points for UMass Dartmouth, which shot 29 percent (16-56) from the floor.
UMass Dartmouth travels to Willimantic, Conn. on Tuesday evening to take on Eastern Connecticut in a Little East Conference outing that tips-off at 5:30 pm, while Tufts hosts SUNY-Poly in a non-league matchup on Monday afternoon at Cousens Gymnasium that tips-off at 3:00 pm.
