Women's Basketball Drops 76-58 Decision to UMass Dartmouth

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Freshman forward Nakira Examond (New Bedford, Mass.) posted a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds, and senior guard Beth Castantini (Newburyport, Mass.) also poured in 23 points to lead the UMass Dartmouth women's basketball team to a 76-58 victory over host Bridgewater State University on Tuesday night at the Tinsley Center.

The visiting Corsairs remain unbeaten on the season as they improve to 6-0, while the Bears slip to 2-3.

Examond connected on 9 of 11 field goals attempts and six of her game-high 11 rebounds came off the offensive glass. Castantini went 3-for-7 from three-point range and 6-for-6 at the free throw line.

Sophomore guard Jennifer Whyte (Braintree, Mass.) paced Bridgewater State with a career-high 16 points, while junior forwards Chanelle Melton (Brockton, Mass.) and Jennie Lindland (Edgartown, Mass.) added 13 and 12, respectively. White went 4-for-12 from behind the arc. Lindland added six rebounds, two assist, two blocks and four steals.

Leading 8-7 midway through the first quarter, the Corsairs used a 13-3 run to open up a double-digit advantage (21-10). Castantini scored five points during the spurt including a three-pointer.

It was all UMass in the second quarter as the Corsairs outscored the Bears 18-5 in the period and used a 16-0 run to open up a 40-17 lead. Bridgewater was held to just two points over the final 7 ½ minutes and  trailed 40-19 at the intermission.

Castantini scored 17 of her 23 points in the first half, while Examond added 11 on perfect 5-for-5 shooting. UMass shot 59% (17-29) from the floor over the first 20 minutes and held a 26-12 advantage in points in the paint.

Melton paced the Bears with eight first half points. BSU did force 15 turnovers over the first two quarters but scored just five points off those 15 Corsair miscues. Bridgewater connected on just 8 of 30 field goal attempts (27%) including 1-for-13 (8%) from behind the arc.

The Bears continued their strong defensive pressure in the third quarter forcing six turnovers over the first eight minutes. A traditional three-point play by Lindland followed by a three-pointer by senior guard Vanesa Conceicao (New Bedford, Mass.) cut the deficit to 49-36 with a minute and a half remaining. The Corsairs, however, scored the final six points of the period including a layup by Examond in the final seconds to push the lead back up to 19 (55-36) heading into the fourth quarter.

White sparked an 11-2 run over the first four minutes of the final period to pull the Bears to within ten points at 57-47. White scored all 11 points during the spurt including a trio of three-pointers.

The Corsairs answered with six straight points on two free throws by Castantini and a pair of free throws and a layup by Examond to extend their advantage to 63-47 with 3:57 left to play. The Bears would get no closer than 11 points the rest of the way.

UMass went 8-for-10 at the free throw line in the final two minutes to put the finishing touches on the 76-58 victory.

The Corsairs shot 46% (27-59) from the floor for the game and finished 19-for-24 (79%) at the charity stripe. The visitors held a 48-26 rebounding advantage which led to a 19-5 edge in second chance points.

Bridgewater connected on 36% of its field goal attempts including 7-for-25 (28%) from behind the arc. The BSU defense forced 25 turnovers.

Both teams are back in action on Thursday evening at seven. The Bears host the Beacons of UMass Boston, while the Corsairs travel to Worcester State University to take on the Lancers.

Notes: The Corsairs snapped a ten-game losing streak versus the Bears. The last UMass win (63-54) over Bridgewater State came on December 7, 2004.