PLYMOUTH, N.H. -Â In the first game of a back-to-back against Plymouth State, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth women's basketball team raced ahead to a 23-11 lead and used that to defeat Plymouth State, 69-54, Saturday at Foley Gymnasium.
Three members of the Corsairs (15-6, 9-3 LEC) scored in double figures led by senior
Jordan Moretti, who led the team with 15 points and sunk six free throws. 5th-year senior
Meagan Donovan played a complete game with 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals on 4-of-6 shooting. Senior
Caroline Wilson notched 10 points and eight boards, while senior Shaelynn Carreiro tallied nine points.
The Panthers (1-17, 0-13 LEC) remain winless in the Little East Conference. Leading Plymouth State was junior Alessia Salzillo with 17 points and seven rebounds.
After Plymouth State took a 5-2 lead in the early stages of the contest, UMass Dartmouth found its footing when Wilson drilled a three and the Corsairs closed the quarter on a 21-6 run. Junior
Haley Reinold made three quick shots in under a minute for six points in the first, while Moretti had five points and senior
Jessica Carroll drained a triple as well.
Starting the second with a 23-11 advantage, the Panthers made things interesting, cutting its deficit to six points (23-17) after a quick 6-0 run with seven minutes on the clock. Moretti then made two at the line, Donovan sunk a three, and two more at the stripe from Moretti built the lead back to 30-19 with 5:15 in the half. The Panthers answered with a 7-2 spurt to claw their way back to a 32-26 score with 2:02 to go. Donovan and Caroll responded with 3-balls to make it a 40-27 lead at the break.
The Corsairs pulled away in the third. After Plymouth State got the first two to go, Moretti and Donovan hit back-to-back 3-pointers to jumpstart a 16-0 run, extending the advantage to 56-29 at the 5:19 mark of the quarter. UMass Dartmouth outscored the Panthers, 9-6 to close the third, making it a 63-25 game heading to the fourth.
The Panthers outscored the Corsairs 19-6 in the fourth, but the large lead built through the first three quarters was enough to earn the victory.
UMass Dartmouth hosts Plymouth State on Sunday at 1 p.m.
