DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Senior
Jordan Moretti finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds for her first double-double of the season, but No. 16 Tufts handed the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth women's basketball team a 76-59 defeat Saturday at the Tripp Athletic Center.
Joining Moretti in double figures for the Corsairs (6-3) was sophomore
Teja Andrews with 13 off the bench.
Three players recorded double figures for the Jumbos (5-1). Senior Molly Ryan had 23, while graduate student Erin Poindexter McHan finished with 22. Sophomore Maggie Russell registered 16 points and 15 rebounds.
UMass Dartmouth was in it in the early going. 5th-year senior
Meagan Donovan hit a three and Moretti scored six straight Corsair points with a 4-point play to make it a 9-5 lead at 7:59. Tufts then built a 16-11 advantage until senior
Caroline Wilson knocked down a triple and Andrews made a layup to even the score at 16 with 3:46 on the clock. The Jumbos then made back-to-back three's, but Moretti sunk one of her own and hit a jumper to make it 22-21 with Tufts on top after one.
Tufts outscored the Corsairs, 18-7, in the second. After Wilson made two free throws to give UMass Dartmouth a 23-22 lead, the Jumbos went on a 13-2 run until senior
Jessica Carroll sunk a 3-pointer to make it 35-28 with 2:05 on the clock. Tufts scored the last five points of the half to take a 40-28 lead.
The Corsairs made it interesting in the third. Trailing 47-32 with 5:55 left in the quarter, Moretti and Andrews combined for all 16 points of a 16-7 run to cut the deficit to 54-48 heading to the fourth.
UMass Dartmouth hung around through the first six minutes of the fourth as Moretti, junior
Haley Reinold and sophomore
Jemima Joseph each made baskets to make it a 62-54 game with 4:03 to go. Tufts then went on a 14-5 run to finish things off.
UMass Dartmouth is done with non-conference play for the regular season and will begin its Little East Conference (LEC) schedule at Eastern Connecticut at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
