DARTMOUTH, Mass. -Â MIT spoiled the home opener for the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth women's basketball team, 78-68, Saturday night at the Tripp Athletic Center.
The Corsairs (2-1), who suffered their first loss of the year, were led in points and rebounds by senior
Shaelyn Carreiro, who had 20 and eight. Senior
Jordan Moretti was all over the place with 16 points, six assists, six rebounds and five steals. Sophomore
Teja Andrews scored 10 points off the bench with four boards, while senior
Caroline Wilson finished with nine points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Five players scored in double figures for MIT (2-0). Freshman Kamsi Nwogo finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while senior Annika Sougstad also had a double-double with 13 points and 13 boards.
UMass Dartmouth jumped out to a fast start as Moretti drove and scored, Carreiro and Wilson drilled a pair of triples, and Carreiro finished in the paint to make it a 10-5 advantage at the 6:32 mark of the first. The Engineers found their footing and quickly got back into the game, utilizing their inside game with one 3-pointer, to close the quarter on a 13-5 run and take an 18-15 lead after one.
MIT continued to build upon its lead in the second. The Engineers made it a 26-16 score before Moretti netted five straight points with a layup and a 3-ball to cut the deficit to 26-21 with 6:19 on the clock. MIT then went on a 12-0 run to go up, 38-21, with 2:46 until halftime. Moretti and Andrews each scored two's and junior
Haley Reinold hit a three in the final minutes, but the Engineers took a 42-29 advantage into halftime.
The third is when the Corsairs started to make moves to get back into the game. After MIT took its largest lead of 19 points, UMass Dartmouth went on a 19-7 run to close the gap to six points at the end of the third. Carreiro scored eight of her 20 points in the run, while Andrews had five points in that sequence, to make it 58-52 heading into the fourth.
A layup from Carreiro and four free throws by 5th-year senior Meaghan Donovan cut it to just a two-point game, 60-58, with 6:52 to go in regulation. MIT then stepped on the gas and scored 13 consecutive points to put the game away.
UMass Dartmouth is on the road at Salve Regina for a 7 p.m. start on Wednesday.
