KEENE, N.H. -- Junior
Jordan Moretti (Johnston, R.I.) posted a double-double effort of 16 points, 11 rebounds and four assists to lead four players in double figures, as UMass Dartmouth erupted for 30 third quarter points to notch a 70-55 Little East Conference women's basketball victory over Keene State Sunday afternoon at Spaulding Gymnasium.
The visiting Corsairs (4-3, 4-2 LEC) jumped out to a four-point first quarter advantage before the host Owls (1-3, 1-3 LEC) netted seven unanswered points in the final 70 seconds of the frame to take a 14-11 edge after the opening 10 minutes of action, and Keene State used 11 unanswered points in a 6:48 stretch of the second stanza to grab its largest lead of the day (27-14) on senior
Lilly Shilmon's (Pelham, N.H.) three-pointer with 1:58 remaining in the half. UMass Dartmouth crept back to with eight (29-21) at the break before embarking on its third quarter scoring explosion, as Moretti's conventional three-point play with 3:15 to play in the stanza gave the visitors the lead for good and sparked a closing 15-3 run that gave the Corsairs a 51-40 advantage heading into the final frame.
Shilmon's triple with 7:45 remaining in the game sliced the Owls' deficit back to seven (54-47), but junior
Caroline Wilson's (Forestdale, Mass.) conventional three-point play restored the visitors' double-digit edge that expanded to 19 points on back-to-back three-pointers by junior
Jessica Carroll (Deep River, Conn.) and a lay-in by fellow junior
Shaelyn Carreiro (Fall River, Mass.) with 2:39 to play, as the hosts got no closer than the final margin.
Carreiro and Wilson each added 12 points and six rebounds for UMass Dartmouth, which received 11 points and three boards from Carroll. Senior
Meagan Donovan (Abington, Mass.) chipped in with seven points and four caroms for the winners, who received five points each from freshmen
Kaylin Zalewski (Johnston, R.I.) and
Faye Veilleux (Wrentham, Mass.) along with four rebounds from senior
Lauren Empey (Middleboro, Mass.). The Corsairs, winners of three straight and four of their last five outings, shot 41 percent (24-58) from the field overall (including seven three-pointers) and converted 21 turnovers into 16 points to sweep the two-game weekend set that included a 73-46 triumph yesterday afternoon at the Tripp Athletic Center.
Freshman
Rylee Burgess (Rutland, Vt.) scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds in the setback for Keene State, which 12 points and eight boards from sophomore
Hailey Derosia (Vernon, Vt.) along with 10 points from Shilmon. Senior
Jordyn Burke (Bennington, Vt.) chipped in with eight caroms for the Owls, who shot 28 percent (20-72) from the floor overall and connected for just four of 35 attempts from beyond the arc. The hosts held a 40-39 rebounding edge that included 17 offensive boards converted into 18 second chance points.
Both teams head to Castleton, Vt. for the next respective Little East Conference matchups against Castleton, as UMass Dartmouth ventures north on Saturday afternoon for a 1:00 pm tip-off while Keene State crosses the border on Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm.
