WESTON, Mass. - The nine-game Regis (Mass.) women's basketball winning streak came to an end Tuesday night at Higgins Court as the Pride fell 86-77 in overtime to UMass Dartmouth in non-conference action. The Pride erased an 11-point deficit with just under six minutes to play, but a three-pointer from Corsair senior Rachel McCarron (Groton, Mass.) with six seconds remaining sent the game to an extra period, where the home team fell short.
With the loss, Regis falls to 13-6 overall on the season, while the Corsairs up their record to 17-3.
When Corsair sophomore Nakira Examond (New Bedford, Mass.) hit one of two free throws with 6:17 remaining in the fourth quarter, the visitors opened up their largest lead of the night at 63-52. The Pride responded to facing their largest deficit of the night, however, by going on a 10-0 run over the next two and a half minutes to cut it to one.
With 2:51 remaining, the Pride tied the game up at 65 thanks to an Amanda Hawkesworth (Abington, Mass.) three-pointer, and moments later took the lead on a lay in by Brittany Stone (West Bridgewater, Mass.), giving the Pride their first lead since early in the second half.
After Regis senior Mikayla Murphy (Attleboro, Mass.) hit a pair of free throws with 20 seconds remaining on the clock, the Corsairs took the ball up the floor down by thee at 72-69 and got a pair of chances to tie the game, converting on McCarron's triple in the waning seconds. Junior Leah Douty (Framingham, Mass.) had the initial game-tying look, but she was unable to convert. Sophomore Danyel Gonzalez (Providence, R.I.) got the offensive board however, dished the ball to McCarron, who evened the score.
The Pride advanced the ball with a timeout and had time to draw up a play, but a Murphy three pointer hit the front rim and fell out, sending the game to extra time.
The overtime completely belonged to the Corsairs, who outscored the Pride 14-5 in the five-minute period. Junior Alicia Kutil (Franklin, Mass.) scored the first five points of the period on a pair of field goals and a free throw to give the visitors the early edge, and the Pride didn't get on the board until Sam D'Angelo (Woburn, Mass.) hit a pair of free throws with 1:55 remaining. Back down five after UMass Dartmouth hit two free throws at the other end, D'Angelo one of two three-pointers on the night to cut the deficit back to two with 1:41 to play, but the Pride could get no closer. UMass Dartmouth scored the final seven points of the game to close out their 17th win of the season.
UMass Dartmouth's Kutil finished the night with game-highs with 25 points and 16 rebounds for the double-double. For the Pride, Hawkesworth served as the leading scorer, pouring in 22 points, followed by Stone with 15 and D'Angelo and junior Shannon Hayes (Billerica, Mass.) with 14 each. Uncharacteristically, the Pride struggled on the glass all night, as the Corsairs outrebounded the home side by a margin of 55-39.
Prior to and during the game, Regis celebrated National Girls & Women in Sports Day. NGWSD is celebrating its 31st year in 2017, and recognizes the progress that was sparked by Title IX and to assure that sports remain accessible to girls and women across the United States. The Pride wore special shirts for the occasion, and girls from the Regis Children's Center joined the home team for player introductions.
Next up for the Pride, they will return to New England Collegiate Conference action with a Thursday night road matchup with Bay Path University at 8:00 p.m. The Corsairs will be off until Saturday, when they take to the road for a 1:00 p.m. matinee against the Colonials of Western Connecticut State.#RegisWBB