DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Despite a game-high 16 points from graduate student
Yasmine Santos, the UMass Dartmouth women's basketball team was unable to get past nationally-ranked Bates College on Saturday at the Tripp Athletic Center. The 12th-ranked Bobcats move to 11-1 overall with the 74-51 win, while the Corsairs slip to 4-7 on the season.
Bates, which saw four players record double-figures in the match, was paced by 14 points and eight rebounds from senior captain and center Elsa Daulerio – who also added three assists and a game-high four blocks. Senior guard Ava James added 12 points, including a team-high four three-pointers, while classmate and guard Sophie Spolter posted 11 points. Rounding out the efforts was junior guard Sarah Hughes who notched a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds.
For the Corsairs, Santos recorded 16 points in 21 minutes, going 6-for-14 from the field. She added five rebounds, while senior guard
Kasey Oliver posted nine points with four boards, an assist and a steal. Graduate student guard
Kaila Pruitt added eight points, including a 2-for-3 effort from beyond the arc with three rebounds.
It was a tight match to get things going as the Bobcats held a three-point lead (13-10) after the opening quarter of play. In the second, the visitors found a groove, dropping in 27 points – including back-to-back three's from James to open the frame. Bates posted five total three-pointers in the stanza and opened an 18-point advantage in the final minute on a layup from sophomore guard Lily Lambo as the Bobcats headed into halftime with a 40-25 lead.
The Bobcats continued to outpace the Corsairs in the third, but the home team came alive in the fourth as Santos buried 12 of her 16 points in the frame. After recording four points in the third quarter, the grad student came out flying with 12 straight points to cut the deficit to 71-47 at 3:44. A three-pointer from senior guard
Cristina Negron closed the gap to 21 (71-50) minutes later, but Bates kept matching to hold for the victory.
UMass Dartmouth returns to action on Tuesday, back to Little East play with a road trip to Eastern Connecticut State at 5pm. The Corsairs return home on Thursday, hosting UMass Boston at 4pm at Tripp Gym.
