WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – The nationally ranked No. 23/25 UMass Dartmouth women's basketball team defeated Eastern Connecticut State University, 75-54, on the road in Little East Conference (LEC) action on Wednesday evening to maintain their perfect 9-0 mark in conference play. The Corsairs improved to 16-2 on the season with their 10
th straight win against the Warriors who fall to a 6-4 league record.
Graduate student
Teja Andrews got the Corsairs on the board early by finishing a bucket to the rim four seconds after winning the tipoff. UMass Dartmouth's offense continued to build in the opening quarter with junior
Melanie DeMeo and fifth year
Kaylin Zalewski each knocking down a triple to put the visitors up 14-6. The Warriors fought back to make it a 16-12 game with 1:15 to go in the first. DeMeo nailed her second three-pointer to aid the Corsairs a 20-15 edge at the end of the opening quarter.
Fifth year
Jemima Joseph posted four points to start the second quarter of the contest and extend UMass Dartmouth's advantage to 24-17. Approaching the midway point of the quarter, graduate student
Carly Whiteside made the next three straight baskets for the Corsairs for her first six points of the evening. Andrews then finished an and-one play to give UMass Dartmouth a 14-point lead with just under five minutes left in the first half. Whiteside ended the second quarter strong by scoring the last seven Corsair points to go along with three offensive boards to send UMass Dartmouth into the break with a 40-28 cushion.
Senior
Amaris Mills, who earned NEWBA First Team honors this week, drained a triple for her first bucket of the game to put UMass Dartmouth up 46-30 early in the third. Andrews connected the following six points, all assisted by Zalewski, to bring her total points into double figures and pull the Corsairs away to a 20-plus lead. Eastern Connecticut State went on a 9-0 run at the end of the third to make it 58-43 game entering the final quarter of the contest.
Whiteside kicked off an 11-2 run for the Corsairs featuring another three-pointer by DeMeo to take a commanding 69-45 lead in the final quarter of the game. After Nevaeh Clark clipped in a triple at the three-minute mark, first year
Elizabeth Gresian finished a late pull up jumper enroute to a 75-54 conference road win over the Warriors.
Whiteside scored her fourth consecutive 20-plus point game for UMass Dartmouth with 24 points going 10-of-17 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the line. She also recorded her fourth double-double of the season after hauling in 11 total rebounds. Andrews ended the evening with 13 points (6-10 FG, 1-1 FT) to go along with eight boards, two steals, one assist, and a block. DeMeo (4-9 FG, 3-6 3-FG) and Joseph (3-4 FG, 5-9 FT) each posted 11 points in the win with DeMeo leading the squad with her three made triples. Zalewski recorded a team-high three steals and six assists for the Corsairs dropping seven points (2-7 FG, 1-5 3-FG, 2-2 FT).
UMass Dartmouth is hosting Plymouth State University for their next conference matchup on Saturday, Feb. 1. The game is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. from the Tripp Athletic Center.
