BOSTON, Mass. – Powered by a double-double from Yasmine Santos, the UMass Dartmouth women's basketball team defeated UMass Boston, 69-62 in Little East action on Wednesday at the Clark Athletic Center. The Corsairs move to 10-14 overall and 7-8 in conference play, while the Beacons are now 14-11 with an 8-8 mark in the LEC.
Opening quarter action saw the Corsairs open up an 11-5 lead following back-to-back three-pointers from senior guards Melanie DeMeo and Cristina Negron. A driving layup from rookie guard Amanda Ebenezer with 3:15 remaining saw UMD open a 14-7 lead, but the Beacons dropped in a pair of key buckets following a trey from rookie guard Carly McDonald to send the teams into the second quarter with the visitors up, 17-13.
Into the second frame, UMass Dartmouth picked up where they left off in the opening quarter as a three from Negron opened a 22-13 margin at 8:59. A layup from UMB's Madison Haggett narrowed the score to four (22-18), but DeMeo sparked an 8-0 run that saw the Corsairs go up 30-18 with 4:33 remaining. The teams traded buckets, but a three-pointer from grad student guard Kaila Pruitt pushed the lead to 13 (35-22) with 3:01 on the clock.
The teams continued to trade baskets until the 1:50 mark as graduate student guard Yasmine Santos dropped in consecutive buckets to send UMass Dartmouth into the intermission with a 41-28 advantage.
Out of the intermission, the Corsairs picked up where they left off, as sophomore guard Elizabeth Gresian dropped in back-to-back buckets for a 45-28 lead at 8:19, but UMass Boston battled back. The Beacons went on an 11-2 run, capped by a jumper from Ashleigh Lagor at 4:42 to close the gap to 49-40.
Santos nailed a pull-up jumper but the Beacons countered once more with a Haggett jump shot as a pair of free throws closed the gap further for a 51-44 Corsairs lead with 1:50 to play in the third quarter. Ebenezer dropped in three shots at the free throw line to push the lead back to 11 (55-44), but a buzzer-beater shot from Sabanna Berrios dropped the lead back to single digits as the teams headed into the final quarter with UMD up, 55-46.
Fourth quarter action opened with Santos continuing her solid game, dropping in a pair of free throw shots at 8:50 to move her game total to 17 points (57-48). The Corsairs continued to capitalize at the free throw line as DeMeo dropped in a pair, widening the gap go 61-50 with 5:41 remaining in the frame. With just over four minutes remaining, the Beacons closed the gap to four (61-56) on a pair of free throw makes, but Santos countered with a floating jumper to make it a seven-point game (63-56) with 3:54 left.
UMass Boston saw Haggett pour in her 21st point, closing the gap to six (66-60) with 1:27 to play as a turnover by the Corsairs and an ensuing foul sent the Beacons to the line. Two misses at the line and the ball back in the possession of UMD as they got another pair of free throw makes from DeMeo to help seal the win.
Santos went 6-of-12 (50%) from the floor for a game-high 21 total points, adding a game-best 14 rebounds with an assist. DeMeo posted 14 points with two boards, two assists, a block and a steal, while Ebenezer and Gresian each notched eight points with five rebounds and six rebounds, respectively. Negron finished with seven points in the contest.
UMass Dartmouth returns to the court on Saturday, traveling to WestConn for the regular season finale for both teams. Game time against the Wolves is set for 1pm as the Corsairs look to try and secure a home playoff spot for the upcoming LEC Tournament.
