DARTMOUTH, Mass. -Â The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth women's basketball team cut its deficit to one point with 2:32 remaining in regulation, but Salve Regina was able to hang on and close the game on an 11-3 run, all with free throws, to come away with a 79-70 victory at the Tripp Athletic Center Wednesday night.
The Corsairs (2-2) were led by graduate student
Jordan Moretti, who posed 14 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Grad student
Caroline Wilson also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds with three assists, two steals and two blocks, while juniors
Teja Andrews (12 pts.),
Kaylin Zalewski (11 pts.) and freshman
Melanie DeMeo (10 pts.) were all in double figures as well. The Seahawks (3-0) had four player with 10-or-more points.
Both teams were hitting their shots in the early going. After layups from Zalewski and Moretti and a triple from graduate student
Shaelyn Carreiro built the UMass Dartmouth lead to 9-4, Salve responded with an 8-3 run to even the score at 12 with 6:46 on the clock. Grad student
Jessica Carroll then hit a three, but the Seahawks answered with a 12-3 run that was stopped with a 3-pointer by DeMeo to make it a 23-21 Salve lead with 1:29 to go. Andrews then sunk a free throw to bring the score to 23-22 after the first.
After the high-scoring first quarter, the pace slowed in the second. Salve built its lead to 34-26 with 3:10 until halftime. Wilson then nailed a 3-ball and DeMeo scored a fastbreak layup to cut the Seahawk advantage to 34-31 at halftime.
Neither side gained any breathing room as the teams traded points in the third. Zalewski opened the quarter with a three, Moretti had an and-one layup, Andrews layed in a pair of fastbreak buckets and Wilson scored four points in the final minute as Salve maintained a 50-48 lead after three.
Zalewski knotted the score at 50 to start the fourth. Salve then went on a 16-8 run to go up, 66-58, with 5:38 to go. UMass Dartmouth was not finished as Zalewski, Andrews and DeMeo all hit shots to bring the deficit to 68-67 with 2:32 on the clock. The Seahawks then made 11 free throws in the final two minutes compared to three points for the Corsairs to put it away.
UMass Dartmouth begins a three-game road trip at MIT on Saturday at 1 p.m.
