PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Powered by a smoldering hot night from three for the Anchorwomen, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth slipped, 69-31, to #4 Rhode Island College on Thursday. The Corsairs suffered their second loss of the season and first in-conference loss, as they slide to 9-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play. Meanwhile, the Anchorwomen continue to roll and remain perfect with a 13-0 overall record, and 4-0 mark against Little East opponents.
It was Rhode Island College that opened up hot, getting out to an 18-4 lead through the end of the first quarter. After UMD senior
Jaelyn Lavigne scored the game's first bucket, UMass Dartmouth could not get anything going offensively. The four-point quarter marks the lowest scoring quarter for the Corsairs all season.
Trailing 18-4 entering the second quarter, the Corsairs looked to turn around their offensive struggles. The Anchorwomen dominated the glass early, with fifth year senior Jeniyah Jones owning the interior and scoring six second quarter points on put backs. RIC went 5 for 10 from deep in the second quarter and caused 19 first half turnovers, helping them extend their lead to 42-12 going into halftime.
Rhode Island College continued to pour it on in the second half. With UMass Dartmouth unable to find their groove offensively, the Anchorwomen built onto their lead, ultimately resulting in a 69-31 win for Rhode Island College.
UMass Dartmouth was paced by Lavigne and sophomore
Tyah Pettaway with six points each. Lavigne added three rebounds and Pettaway went 2 for 2 from the free throw line. The Corsairs struggled with turnovers, giving the ball away a season-high 30 times. They also struggled to find their range from deep, going 0-12 on three-point attempts.
Leading the way offensively for RIC was sophomore Sophia Guerrier with 13 points and nine rebounds. The Anchorwomen also saw their fifth-year duo of Jones and Izabelle Booth score in double figures. The Anchorwomen dominated several categories, including field goal percentage, rebounding, assists, blocks and steals.
The Corsairs return to action on Saturday, January 4
th, when they host VTSU Castleton in a conference battle with the Spartans. Tip off is set for 1PM at the Tripp Athletic Center.
