DARTMOUTH, Mass. -Â The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth women's basketball team cut a 10-point deficit to two with 35 seconds remaining, but Rhode Island College forced a turnover and hit its free throws in the final seconds, to pull away with a 61-54 win, Tuesday night at the Tripp Athletic Center.
Senior
Jordan Moretti did it all for the Corsairs (16-7, 10-4 LEC), finishing with 18 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals. Senior
Caroline Wilson was also in double figures with 14 points and added four rebounds, while senior
Shaelyn Carreiro notched seven points and eight boards. UMass Dartmouth is now locked into the three seed in the upcoming LEC tournament.
Willcia McBorrough tallied all of her team-leading 12 points in the second half for the Anchorwomen (19-5, 14-1 LEC). Every member of the team scored for Rhode Island College, who clinched the LEC regular season championship.
UMass Dartmouth built a 10-4 lead after the first four-and-a-half minutes thanks to seven fast points by Moretti and a triple from Carreiro. Shots by Wilson, 5th-year senior
Meagan Donovan and Moretti kept the Corsairs on top. A RIC layup to close the first quarter made it an 18-15 UMassD lead after one.
A three put the Anchorwomen up, 19-18, with 7:05 on the clock in the second. Senior
Jessica Carroll then put the Corsairs back on top with a fastrbreak layup. The teams then traded baskets and a layup by Moretti and a 3-pointer from Wilson evened the score at 27 at halftime.
Offense was hard to come by in the first four minutes of the third as the teams stayed even at 33. Rhode Island College then went on a 6-0 run, but baskets by sophomore
Faye Veilleux cut the deficit to 39-37 with 3:19 on the clock. RIC closed the quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 46-37 advantage into the fourth.
RIC led 49-39 with 8:36 to go. That was until the Corsairs methodically climbed their way back into it. Carreiro got it started with a basket in the paint, sophomore
Kaylin Zalewski had a steal and breakaway layup, a Moretti and-1 kept it going, and Wilson knocked down a mid-range jumper to make it a 56-54 RIC lead with 35 seconds left. Time was not on the Corsairs' side as they had to foul and RIC made its free throws in the final seconds.
UMass Dartmouth hosts Castleton on Thursday at 5 p.m. The team will honor
Lauren Empey and
Meagan Donovan for senior night.
