Women’s Hoop Loses to Corsairs in Season Opener

WESTON, Mass. – UMass Dartmouth took a 10-point lead into halftime and then extended it with a hot-shooting third quarter on the way to an 82-54 victory over Regis College Thursday evening in a non-conference women's collegiate basketball game at Higgins Court.

Arie Searcy (Santa Rosa, Calif.) led the Pride with 15 points, while Pam Gonzalez (Revere, Mass.) finished with 12 points and two blocked shots and Courtney Doherty (Wilimantic, Conn.) contributed 10 points. Shannon Kelley (Quincy, Mass.) posted team-high totals in rebounds with eight and assists with five, Kristin Barrett (Plymouth, Mass.) added eight points off the bench, and Yvelande Donis (Randolph, Mass.) scored a career-high six points as she made all three of her field goal attempts.

In the first quarter, consecutive baskets by Jordan Moretti allowed UMass Dartmouth to open a 12-8 lead, but a layup from Gonzalez and two free throws by Searcy pulled the Pride into a 14-14 tie. Moretti would pick up a steal and a layup in the final minute to give the Corsairs a 17-14 advantage after the opening quarter.

Haley Reinold hit two three-pointers in the second quarter to extend the Corsair lead into double digits, but consecutive three-pointers by Marissa Prall (Hopkinton, Mass.) and Barrett brought Regis back within four at 25-21 midway through the period. UMass Dartmouth would reestablish its 10-point advantage heading into halftime at 35-25 with two made free throws apiece by Moretti and Jessica Carroll.

The Corsairs scored the first seven points of the third quarter, starting with a three-pointer from Caroline Wilson, and then they would put together a 13-2 scoring run, capped by a layup from Teja Andrews. UMass Dartmouth shot 73.3 percent (11-of-15) from the field in the third quarter as it controlled the rest of the contest, finishing the game shooting 54.5 percent (30-of-55) from the field.

Moretti shot 6-of-8 from the field as she finished with 16 points, six rebounds, and six assists, with Lauren Empey collecting 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds off the bench. Carroll contributed 10 points, and Andrews added eight points, six rebounds, and five assists to the winning effort.

As a team, the Pride shot 35.6 percent (21-of-59) from the field and 66.7 percent (6-of-9) from the free throw line. Regis scored 24 points off 23 Corsair turnovers, but UMass Dartmouth controlled the boards, pulling down 46 rebounds while allowing the Pride to earn just 23 rebounds.

Regis College (0-1) travels to face Bridgewater State next Thursday, Nov. 18, starting at 7 p.m. UMass Dartmouth (2-0) hosts MIT Saturday, Nov. 13, beginning at 6 p.m.