Box Score DARTMOUTH, Mass. -- Senior Ashley Brown (New Bedford, Mass.) and sophomore Shaelyn Carreiro (Fall River, Mass.) each scored 16 points and combined for 16 rebounds, as UMass Dartmouth posted a 69-51 Little East Conference women's basketball victory over Keene State Wednesday afternoon at the Tripp Athletic Center.
The host Corsairs (13-9, 8-5 LEC), winners of two straight and five of their last six outings, overcame a cold shooting start to grab a 25-14 advantage on junior Lauren Empey's (Middleboro, Mass.) jumper midway through the second quarter. The visiting Owls (7-15, 6-7 LEC) responded with 11 unanswered points to even matters on senior Kenzie Bennett's (Lake George, N.Y.) three-pointer with 2:07 to play in the half, but Brown scored five points in the closing minutes to stake UMass Dartmouth to a 30-27 edge at the break.
Keene State evened matters on freshman Katie Martineau's (Farmington, N.H.) on the opening possession after intermission, but the Corsairs took control of the contest with a decisive 16-2 run over the next seven-plus minutes and take a 13-point cushion (48-35) into the final frame. The hosts maintained a double-digit edge throughout the fourth quarter, as the Corsairs shot 56 percent (10-18) in the final 10 minutes to play to seal their triumph.
Carreiro finished with nine rebounds in the win for UMass Dartmouth, which received seven boards, two assists and pair of steals from Brown. Sophomore Jordan Moretti (Johnston, R.I.) added 15 points, six caroms, six assists and two steals for the hosts, while Empey rounded out a quartet in double figures with 14 points and six rebounds. Senior Kayla McMahon (Hanover, Mass.) and junior Meagan Donovan (Abington, Mass.) combined for six points and eight boards for the Corsairs, who shot 47 percent (27-58) from the floor and scored 38 points in the paint on the day.
Bennett notched a double-double effort of 13 points and 14 rebounds in the setback for Keene State, which received 11 points from freshman Arianna Hebert (Portsmouth, R.I.) along with 10 points and seven boards from junior Tamra Gonyea (Meriden, Conn.). Martineau and sophomore Abby Grandmaison (Penacook, N.H.) combined for 11 points and 10 caroms for the Owls, who shot 32 percent (20-62) from the field and held a 39-37 advantage on the glass for the contest.
UMass Dartmouth travels to Danbury, Conn. on Saturday afternoon for a Little East Conference clash with Western Connecticut that tips-off at 1:00 pm, while Keene State hosts Rhode Island College in a Little East outing on Saturday afternoon in Keene, N.H. that also tips-off at 1:00 pm.
(Photo Credit: Bridget Bagana '22)
