PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The UMass Dartmouth women's basketball team opened their 2025-26 season on Saturday, shouldering a tough loss to Johnson & Wales University on the road. The Wildcats are now 1-0 with the 99-87 victory, while the Corsairs are 0-1.
Individually, the Corsairs were led by a 32-point performance (12-for-20; 60%) from graduate student guard
Yasmine Santos. She completed the double-double with a squad-best 11 rebounds, adding an assist over 32 minutes played. Senior guard
Melanie DeMeo posted 19 points with two rebounds, three assists and a block, while classmate and fellow guard
Cristina Negron added 13 points with four boards and a steal.
The homestanding Wildcats jumped out to a solid lead in the opening quarter of action, taking a 10-point lead (15-5) on a three-pointer by Ava Byrne. JWU led by as many as 18 (24-6) with 4:26 remaining and ended the first quarter with a 29-12 advantage following a jumper in the paint by Grace Jaffray.
Second quarter action opened strong for the Wildcats, but the Corsairs came roaring back as a three-pointer and ensuing jumper by DeMeo, coupled with layups from senior guard
Kasey Oliver and Santos cut the deficit to five (33-28) with 6:05 on the clock. JWU continued to maintain the lead, but in the final 30 seconds, the Corsairs battled.
Santos drained a free throw and followed it seconds later with a layup to make it a 41-38 game. An ensuing foul saw Santos head back to the line, making her shot before sophomore guard
Elizabeth Gresian nailed a buzzer beater three-pointer with one second left to give the visitors a 42-41 lead.
It remained a back-and-forth battle into the third quarter as neither team led by more than two points until a three from DeMeo saw the Corsairs take a 53-48 lead with 7:18 to play. UMass Dartmouth continued to lead as a three from Negron pushed the score to 59-54 at 5:42.
The Wildcats took advantage at the line as Jaffray and Julia Blum each hit free throws to give the home team back the lead by one (60-59) at the 4:11 mark. The teams continued to see the lead switch, but the Corsairs got the final point of the frame on a free throw by Oliver to carry a 69-68 lead into the final quarter.
Fourth quarter action saw Santos hit a jumper, giving the Corsairs the 76-72 advantage with 6:56 remaining. UMD continued to hold on, but the momentum shifted as Isabella Suero sank a layup and Jaffray tied the game on a fastbreak layup inside to make it 78-all with 5:59 on the clock.
Johnson & Wales went on a 6-0 run to open a 91-80 advantage and continued to add to their lead, allowing the Corsairs just seven points over the final 1:55 to secure the victory.
The Corsairs return to action on Wednesday, traveling to Bridgewater State University for a 5:30pm tip-off against the Bears.
