PLYMOUTH, N.H. - The nationally ranked UMass Dartmouth women's basketball team opened Little East Conference (LEC) play on Wednesday with a dominate win, 94-47, over Plymouth State University. The Corsairs drained 14 total three-pointers against the Panthers which marks a single game team record in modern day program history. UMass Dartmouth are now 1-0 in league action and improve to a six-game win streak on the season while the Panthers fall to 2-6 overall.
The Corsairs jumped out to an early 12-0 lead to start the game powered by graduate student forward
Carly Whiteside dropping nine points along with a triple by junior guard
Melanie DeMeo. Fifth years
Kaylin Zalewski and
Jaelyn Lavigne each finished their first baskets of the evening to give UMass Dartmouth a 16-4 edge over Plymouth. Graduate student guard
Jane McCauley and senior guard
Amaris Mills both knocked down three-point shots to end the first quarter with a dominate 18-point advantage.
Zalewski continued to push the Corsairs offense splashing a triple to start the second quarter of the contest. After the Panthers strung five points together to make it 28-12, the Corsairs quickly responded by going on an 11-0 run with 3-of-4 shots made from the three-point range. McCauley finished the first half making four of the last five triples for UMass Dartmouth for 12 points to take a 49-19 lead heading into halftime.
Mills got the Corsair offense going in the third posting the opening six points of the quarter for UMass Dartmouth. DeMeo sank her third three-pointer of the game at the 7:28 mark to extend the Corsairs lead to 35 points. Fifth year forward
Jemima Joseph produced her first points of the game with 3:56 on the clock after finishing a good jumper. Mills finished the quarter by scoring seven of the last 11 points to put UMass Dartmouth ahead 78-33.
Plymouth tacked on nine points early in the fourth following a layup by Raven Premont with 6:12 remaining in the game. Junior guard
Kasey Oliver made a driving layup into the paint after a couple of minutes to give UMass Dartmouth a 45-point edge. In the final two minutes of action, junior guard Christina Negron knocked down a three-pointer followed by three more points from Lavigne added on to secure a 94-47 conference victory over Plymouth.
Whiteside (8-9 FG, 1-2 3-FG, 3-5 F) and McCauley (7-9 FG, 6-8 3-FG) each dropped 20 points in the win for UMass Dartmouth. Mills also had a double-digit performance scoring 18 points (8-14 FG, 2-5 3-FG) with six rebounds, three assists, and a steal. McCauley led the squad with a season-high six made three-pointers while DeMeo ended the game with three triples for nine points.
Zalewski hauled in seven rebounds and blocked a pair of shots, both of which were team-highs in the contest, to go along with five points (2-4 FG, 1-3 3-FG), three assists, and a steal. Andrews, Lavigne, and sophomore guard
Shelby Companion each recorded two steals while Andrews finished the evening with a career-high seven assists.
The Corsairs are back on the court on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Bridgewater State University for a non-conference tilt with tipoff scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
