DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Powered by a balanced team offense, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth women's basketball took an 85-59 victory over Emerson College to kick off their 2023 Lafrance Hospitality Tournament. Earlier action saw Smith College defeat Mitchell College by a score of 93-52. Five players reached double-figures for the Corsairs, including 18 from sophomore
Melanie DeMeo and 14 each from seniors
Carly Whiteside and from
Kaylin Zalewski in her first game back from injury.
It was a close game throughout the opening half as the Corsairs owned a five-point advantage (24-19) after the opening quarter of play. UMass Dartmouth fell behind as far as 19-10 at the 3:14 mark, but pulled back into the contest thanks to a pair of three pointers made by DeMeo and senior
Jemima Joseph. Those two also went 4 for 4 from the free throw line, helping the Corsairs claim a three-point lead at the 1:18 mark. Senior
Teja Andrews sunk a pair of free throws to give UMD a 24-19 lead after one quarter.
DeMeo and sophomore
Tyah Pettaway took over the early minutes of the second quarter. Pettaway nailed a mid-range jumper and two free throws, while DeMeo added a mid-range jumper and a three of her own in the first five minutes of the quarter. The Corsairs were able to separate further, when a deep ball from freshman
Shelby Companion at the 2:04 mark gave UMass Dartmouth its biggest so far of 16 points. A pair of threes from Lions sophomore Bri Frongillo helped cut into the lead, but the Corsairs held a 46-33 advantage going into halftime.
UMass Dartmouth rolled with their momentum they built in the second quarter, and a deep ball from Zalewski extended the lead to 22 with eight minutes remaining in the third. At the 5:48 mark in the quarter, DeMeo hit another three and she was followed up by another two long-balls from Zalewski. Pettaway nailed a three at the buzzer, causing the home crowd to erupt at the end of the Third Quarter with the Corsairs holding on to a comfortable 76-47 lead.
UMD was able to cruise through the fourth quarter, with many of the reserves seeing time on the court. The Corsairs' strong start to their 2023-24 season continues with a dominant, 85-59 win over the Lions.
UMass Dartmouth was paced by DeMeo's 18 points and five boards while going 4 for 6 from deep. Zalewski and Whiteside each added 14, with Whiteside posting nine rebounds for the near double-double and Zalewski shooting an efficient 3 for 4 from behind the arc. Andrews' impact was felt with 10 points along with four assists and three steals. Pettaway scored 11 coming off the bench for the Corsairs.
Emerson College was paced by 15 points and four assists on 4 of 8 from the field from Frongillo. Two other players scored in double-figures for the Lions in seniors Olivia Deslaurier and Ella Bushee. Deslaurier went 4 of 6 from deep on her way to scoring 14. In addition to 10 points, Bushee added seven rebounds, two blocked shots and three steals.
The 2023 Lafrance Hospitality Women's Basketball Tournament continues tomorrow, starting with a noon meeting between Mitchell College and Emerson College. The Corsairs will tip off against 2022 NCAA Final Four team Smith College at 2PM at the Tripp Athletic Center.
