BRUNSWICK, Maine – The UMass Dartmouth women's basketball team's season has concluded, despite a gritty team performance in an electric second round NCAA Tournament game, with Bowdoin finishing on top, 67-59. The Corsairs' season wraps up with a 24-5 overall record and a second round NCAA Tournament exit. The Polar Bears advance to the Sweet Sixteen, where they will face Baldwin Wallace University.
The Corsairs were paced by senior
Teja Andrews, who posted a game-high 18 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. Andrews went 7 for 11 (63.6%) from the floor and 4 for 5 (80.0%) from the free throw line. Her defensive presence was felt as well, as she held Bowdoin sophomore Carly Davey to just seven points following a career-performance in the first round. Junior
Amaris Mills earned the start for the first time this season, stepping in for
Melanie DeMeo, who missed today's game due to injury. Mills scored 11 points for the Corsairs and logged more minutes than any other Corsair with 39, while playing tenacious defense throughout. Senior
Jaelyn Lavigne added nine points, including two timely three-pointers. Graduate student
Carly Whiteside scored eight points in just 15 minutes of play prior to having to exit the game with an injury. As a team, the Corsairs caused Bowdoin to turn the ball over 23 times, which is the most for them all season.
Bowdoin College, paced throughout by Megan Tan, saw the senior point guard score 14 points, shooting 4 for 7 (57.1%) from the field and 3 for 5 (60.0%) from three-point territory. Junior guard and NESCAC Player of the Year Sydney Jones had a great showing, posting a triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Senior Callie Godfrey posted 12 points, eight rebounds and blocked three shots.
The Corsairs were the first to strike in this Second Round NCAA Tournament matchup. Senior
Jaelyn Lavigne buried a three for the first points of the contest. Bowdoin responded, aided by their home-crowd whose energy could be felt right off the tipoff. The Polar Bears began a 9-2 run, that gave them a 9-5 lead at the 4:36 mark of the opening quarter. The Bowdoin run featured five early points from Davey. UMass Dartmouth answered with a 9-4 run of their own, capped off by a pull-up three pointer from sophomore
Tyah Pettaway that gave the Corsairs a 14-13 lead to end the first quarter.
The Corsairs built onto their lead early in the second quarter, after a quick three points from Andrews gave them a 17-13 advantage at the 8:15 mark of the quarter. A devastating moment for the Corsairs occurred at around 3:30 left in the half, when graduate student and forward
Carly Whiteside suffered an apparent lower-body injury, forcing her to exit the game. Despite losing their dominant post-presence, the Corsairs showed great resilience in battling the rest of the way, going into the half trailing by just one point. Andrews led all scorers with 9 points at the half, as the teams entered the locker room with Bowdoin leading 31-30.
After a pair of free throws from Pettaway brought the score to 36-35 in favor of the Polar Bears at the 7:42 mark of the third quarter, Bowdoin went on an 8-0 run to give them a 44-35 lead with 5:04 left in the quarter. The Corsairs battled their way back once again by closing the third quarter on a 13-6 run to bring them within two at 50-48. UMass Dartmouth played outstanding defense to limit Bowdoin to just six points in the final five minutes of the quarter.
Then fourth lived up to the hype of a Second Round NCAA Tournament fourth quarter. With a two-point Polar Bear advantage to start the fourth quarter, sophomore Maria Belardi nailed a huge three to kick off the quarter and put Bowdoin up by five. Andrews had a phenomenal game on both sides of the court, especially in the fourth quarter, causing several Bowdoin turnovers and converting on clutch buckets and free throws. After going down by as much as nine points with 4:16 to play, the Corsairs responded with a huge three-pointer from Lavigne and a layup from Andrews that brought UMD back within four at 61-57 with 1:43 remaining.
Despite the resilience of the Corsairs in the fourth quarter, Bowdoin was able to pull away at the end thanks to efficient free throw shooting in the final minutes. At the final horn, Bowdoin finished on top, 67-59, to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
The Corsairs' season has concluded with a 24-5 overall record, just one win behind the program's season record. The second round NCAA Tournament exit marks the second-furthest Tournament run in the program's history, behind their Elite 8 run in 2017.
