Box Score KEENE, N.H. – One day after falling behind 17-4 and trailing the entire game at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, the Keene State College women's basketball team got off to a far better start, building a 27-14 lead in the opening half. However, the Corsairs emphatically answered with a hot-shooting, 49-point outburst in the final two quarters and wound up pulling away to a 70-55 win Sunday afternoon at Spaulding Gymnasium in the second game of a Little East "home-and-home" weekend set.
Records
- Keene State: 1-3, 1-3 LEC
- UMass-Dartmouth: 4-3, 4-2 LEC
How It Happened
It was a tale of two halves on Sunday, as the Owls used an extended 20-3 run spanning the first and second quarters to turn an early 11-7 deficit into the aforementioned game-high 13-point lead with 1:58 left in the second, but UMass-Dartmouth – after getting within 29-21 at halftime – wiped away the deficit rapidly right after the break. KSC's lead was gone in two minutes and 27 seconds, as after scoring just 14 points in the opening 19 minutes of the game, the Corsairs scored 15 over the next four. Aggressiveness to the bucket from
Rylee Burgess and
Jenny Freedman helped the Owls keep pace for the moment, as they retook a 37-36 lead with 4:18 left in the third, but
Michelle LaBonte's triple a minute later that answered a three-point play by Jordan Moretti on the other end wound up being Keene State's last lead of the game. The Corsairs put an exclamation point on a 30-point quarter with a 12-0 burst in the final 2:50 to turn a 40-39 deficit into a 51-40 lead, capped by Caroline Wilson's three with 14 seconds to go. Keene State missed all five of their shots and turned the ball over twice during that stretch. Both teams struggled from the field in the opening 20 minutes, combining to shoot 17-for-63 (27 percent) overall and 4-for-28 from long range, but UMass-Dartmouth came out of the slump in a big way after, shooting 58 percent in the third quarter and 55 percent overall in the second half while outscoring Keene State 49-26. The Owls, after a 10-for-36 showing in the opening 20 minutes, finished 20-for-72 from the floor in the game and were not able to keep pace offensively.
A three by Shlimon a little over two minutes into the final quarter kept Keene State with some hope, making it a 54-47 game with 7:45 to go, but Kaylin Zalewski connected from three on the other end on the next trip and Wilson's layup and free throw after being fouled pushed the Owls right back into an 11-point hole a little over a minute later. KSC never was within single-digits again as UMD ended whatever leftover doubt by scoring nine consecutive points in 2:14 after it was 60-50 with 5:14 remaining.
Burgess led Keene State with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and five rebounds.
Hailey Derosia added 12 points, eight rebounds, and two steals, but the Owls shot an ice-cold 4-for-35 from three-point range. Moretti had 16 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists to pace UMass-Dartmouth. Wilson and Shaelyn Carreiro each scored 10 points, combining to shoot 8-for-14.
Inside the Paint
- The Owls had a major turnaround on the glass, as one day after being punished 53-32, they outrebounded the Corsairs 40-39, including 17-8 on the offensive end.
- KSC was outscored 54-27 from behind the three-point line on the weekend, with UMass-Dartmouth making 18-of-46 (39 percent) and the Owls only 9-for-65 (14 percent). The Owls have yet to find the range this season, connecting on less than 20 percent from deep in each game.
- Keene State has lost seven of eight in the series with the only win coming last year in Keene, 56-50, when the Owls outscored UMD 30-15 in the second half to post a comeback victory.
Up Next
- KSC travels to Vermont for a second matchup with Castleton University (1-4, 0-4 LEC) on Wednesday, February 24. Tip-off is at 6:00 p.m. The Owls took the first meeting 46-44 this past Wednesday in Keene.
- The Corsairs' next scheduled game is also on the road against the Spartans. That contest will start at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 27. UMD is 5-0 against Castleton since they joined the Little East.
