NEW LONDON, Conn. – Powered by a well-rounded 22-point, six rebound and six assist game from senior
Kaylin Zalewski, the UMass Dartmouth women's basketball team posted a 68-62 victory over the Connecticut College in non-conference action on Saturday. The Corsairs (#25 -wbca) roll to 15-2 overall, while the Camels slide to 5-12.
UMass Dartmouth, who owned a 28-24 lead after the two opening quarters of action, opened the third stanza on a 9-0 run, capped off by a three-pointer made by sophomore
Melanie DeMeo that put the Corsairs up by 13 with 7:16 on the clock.
Zalewski got hot in the later stages of the third quarter, nailing all three of her attempts from deep in the final four minutes of the quarter. Zalewski helped UMass Dartmouth take a 48-35 lead going into the final quarter of action.
The Corsairs saw another scoring burst early in the fourth quarter from sophomore
Tyah Pettaway, senior
Jemima Joseph and junior
Amaris Mills. Two Pettaway jumpers along with four layups from Joseph and Mills extended the UMass Dartmouth lead to 17 with just 6:30 to go. Connecticut College battled their way back, with sharp shooting from sophomore Avery Burns and freshman Hayle Thompson. A pair of free throws made by freshman Mia Xerras cut the deficit down to just four points for the Camels with :53 seconds remaining.
In the winding seconds of play, efficient free throw shooting from Zalewski and DeMeo helped put the game away for UMass Dartmouth, 68-62. The win marks the sixth in a row for the Corsairs, who were voted #25 in the latest WBCA Top-25 Poll, and boast the best record through 17 games in the program's history.
Zalewski led the way for the Corsairs, recording a game-high 22 points with six rebounds, adding six assists, a block and three steals. Zalewski shot 3 for 8 from long range and 3 for 4 from the free throw line. Graduate student
Carly Whiteside posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists. Mills added 10 points off the bench, going 2 for 4 from three and hauled in five rebounds. The Corsairs won the battle for second chance points (19-7) and points in the paint (32-26).
Connecticut College was paced by Thompson's 13 points and eight rebounds with two assists, three blocked shots and a steal. Burns made 3 of 6 three-point attempts on her way to scoring 11 points. The Camels were limited to shooting just 34.9% from the field and 20.8% from three-point range.
The Corsairs return from their road trip on Wednesday, hosting Eastern Connecticut in the Tripp Athletic Center in Little East action. Tip-off is set for 5pm.
