Corsairs Cruise by Castleton on Senior Night

DARTMOUTH, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth women's basketball team celebrated its seniors Lauren Empey and Meagan Donovan with a 65-54 win over Castelton Thursday night at the Tripp Athletic Center.

5th-year seniors Empey and Donovan were honored for their contributions on and off the court prior to the game.

Senior Shaelyn Carreiro led the the Corsairs (17-7, 11-4 LEC) with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Donovan finished with 11 points, and senior Jordan Moretti tallied 10 points, eight assists, six rebounds and four steals. Sophomore Teja Andrews notched nine points and five boards off the bench.

Two players scored the majority of the points for the Spartans (12-11, 5-9 LEC). Junior Elise Magro led the team with 19 points, while graduate student Kelly Vuz had 16 points, seven rebounds and four steals.

An injured Empey was awarded a layup to begin the game. Moretti followed with a triple and Carreiro and Donovan scored in the paint to make it a 9-2 lead at the 6:13 mark of the first. The Spartans fought their way back into the game and took a 15-14 advantage at the 2:34 mark after a 3-pointer. A three by Carreiro sparked a 10-3 run to make it a 24-18 game after one.

The second was back-and-and forth. A 3-ball by senior Jessica Carroll, and a layup from Moretti extended the lead to 31-22, with 8:04 on the clock. Castleton was able to keep it close throughout the remainder of the quarter, having an answer for each basket the Corsairs made to bring the score to 42-38 at halftime.

Andrews knocked down a three and senior Caroline Wilson scored in the paint to open the third and make it a 47-38 advantage with 7:18 in the quarter. Carreiro then hit a three and sophomore Faye Veilleux sunk a jumper to push the lead to 52-39 with four minutes on the clock. The Spartans closed the third on an 8-1 run to cut their deficit to 53-47 heading to the fourth.

It was a low-scoring fourth as UMass Dartmouth did what they needed to do to secure the win. Wilson and Donovan each made 3-pointers as the Corsairs defense only allowed seven points to come away with the victory.

UMass Dartmouth and the Spartans meet again on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Castleston to conclude the regular season.