Box Score NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The Keene State College women's basketball team struggled offensively, shooting 26 percent from the field and 5-for-30 from three-point range in a 73-46 loss to UMass-Dartmouth in Little East Conference action at the Tripp Athletic Center Saturday afternoon.
Records
- Keene State: 1-2, 1-2 LEC
- UMass-Dartmouth: 3-3, 3-2 LEC
How It Happened
The Owls were outscored 33-15 from behind the three-point line as UMass-Dartmouth had seven different players connect from distance while cruising to their most decisive win in nearly a year to the date (81-49 over Southern Maine). KSC started slow, giving up eight of the first 10 points and eventually found themselves trailing 17-4 after a three by Meagan Donovan and a layup by Lauren Empey with just under three minutes left in the opening quarter.
Hailey Derosia, who finished with 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting but was the long Owl in double-figures, salvaged the period to some extent with a personal 5-0 run that brought Keene State within 17-9 after one. Two free throws for the sophomore from Brattleboro, Vt. 33 seconds into the second quarter extended her and the Owl run to seven consecutive points to make it a six-point game, but the KSC momentum was fleeting, as UMass-Dartmouth answered with a 13-0 burst behind three triples from three different players to lead 30-11 less than four minutes later. Still down 33-16 with 3:20 to go until the break, six consecutive points – three from Derosia on a layup and free throw with 19 seconds left – helped the Owls stay within shouting distance at 33-22 heading into the locker room. The Corsairs shot 40 percent, but seven of their 12 made field goals were threes as they connected on 54 percent from deep in the opening 20 minutes. KSC stayed in it by making eight of nine free throws while UMD made two of their four.
A layup by Derosia 1:55 into the third quarter brought KSC as close as they had been since the opening minute of the second (33-24), but a similar storyline – one where UMass-Dartmouth had a quick answer – played out again when they scored seven in a row in 46 seconds to go ahead by 16 again.
Jackie Alibrandi's three with 4:27 to go in the third made it 44-30, but consecutive triples from Shaelyn Carreiro and Kaylin Zalewski wound up adding to the Corsair lead in the end, and the home team's advantage ballooned to 24 (56-32) by the end of the third quarter and never sunk below 18 again.
UMass-Dartmouth has won three of four overall, losing only to Babson College 66-64 ten days ago on a perfectly executed out-of-bounds play by the Beavers that led to a wide-open layup with 0.9 seconds left. The Corsairs finished 11-for-22 (50 percent) from long range today, easily a season-best. The outing continued a stark contrast for UMD, as in their three wins they are connecting on 40 percent (31-for-77) from deep and in their losses a pedestrian 24 percent (12-for-51). Donovan finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, and four assists for the Corsairs. Jordan Moretti added 11 points while Carreiro and Zalewski each scored 10 and combined to shoot 7-of-12, 4-of-6 from three.
In addition to Derosia,
Rylee Burgess finished with eight points and seven rebounds for KSC. Alibrandi had seven points.
Inside the Paint
- UMass-Dartmouth had a wide 53-32 rebounding advantage.
- Keene State has lost four straight, all by double-digits, at the Tripp Athletic Center after winning 15 of 21 there.
- The Owls have forced 62 turnovers in their first three games and outscored the Corsairs 23-9 off miscues today.
Up Next
- The two teams will square off again in less than 24 hours when UMass-Dartmouth comes to Keene for a 2:00 p.m. start on Sunday (February 21).
