Box Score DANBURY, Conn. -- Sophomore Shaelyn Carreiro (Fall River, Mass.) scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead six players in double figures, as UMass Dartmouth erupted for 52 second half points to notch an 84-73 Little East Conference women's basketball victory over Western Connecticut Saturday afternoon at Feldman Arena.
The visiting Corsairs (14-9, 9-5 LEC) built a one-point (20-19) advantage after the opening quarter of action, but the host Colonials (8-14, 3-10 LEC) used a 9-0 run over the first 2:14 of the second stanza to grab an eight point edge on sophomore Katelyn Fanning's (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) lay-in with 7:46 remaining in the half. UMass Dartmouth sliced its deficit to six (38-32) at the break, and after Western Connecticut pushed that margin to 10 (42-32) early after intermission, the visitors used an 25-7 run over an eight-plus minute stretch and built a 59-53 lead into the final frame.
The Colonials closed to within a bucket twice in the opening three minutes of the fourth quarter, but Carreiro ignited a decisive 8-0 run with a lay-in that extended the Corsairs' advantage back to double-digits, and free throws from seniors Kayla McMahon (Hanover, Mass.) & Ashley Brown (New Bedford, Mass.) and junior Lauren Empey (Middleboro, Mass.) helped ice the visitors' third straight triumph.
McMahon added 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists on the day for UMass Dartmouth, which received 13 points and three assists from sophomore Jessica Carroll (Deep River, Conn.) to go with a near triple-double performance of 12 points, nine assists and eight boards from sophomore Jordan Moretti (Johnston, R.I.). Brown collected 10 points, eight assists and six caroms for the Corsairs, who received 10 points and five rebounds from Empey along with seven points and four boards from junior Meagan Donovan (Abington, Mass.). The visitors shot 48 percent (30-62) and connected for eight three-pointers, as UMass Dartmouth recorded 25 assists to complete a regular-season sweep between the two squads.
Senior Gabrielle Hurlbert (Thomaston, Conn.) scored a game-high 26 points and dished out three assists in the setback for Western Connecticut, which received 11 points and six rebounds from freshman Susana Almeida (Danbury, Conn.) as well as 11 points and seven boards from sophomore Samantha Garcia (Highland, N.Y.). Senior Jessica Davis (Hamden, Conn.) chipped in with eight points and 11 caroms for the Colonials, who received eight points and six rebounds from Fanning. The hosts shot 30 percent (26-87) from the floor but missed 32 of 38 attempts from behind the arc, as each team had 49 rebounds in the contest.
Both teams will square off with UMass Boston in their next respective Little East Conference outings, as UMass Dartmouth heads into Boston for a league road matchup on Wednesday evening that tips-off at 5:30 pm after Western Connecticut plays host to the Beacons on Monday afternoon at Feldman Arena for a 2:00 pm tip-off.
