Women's Basketball Falls to UMass Boston in Overtime, 84-80

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior forward Olivia Murphy (Canton, Mass.) posted a double-double with 28 points and 15 rebounds to lead the visiting UMass Boston women's basketball team to an 84-80 overtime victory over Bridgewater State University on Thursday night at the Tinsley Center.

The Beacons remain unbeaten on the season as they improve to 6-0, while the host Bears slip to 2-4 overall.

Murphy connected on 11 of 21 field goal attempts and seven of her 15 rebounds came off the offensive glass.

Sophomore guard Grace Geary (Falmouth, Mass.) added 19 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals for the visitors off the bench, while junior forward Katrina Edwards (Springfield, Mass.) posted a double-double with 14 points and 17 boards to go along with three assists and two blocked shots. Junior guard Taje Burston (Springfield, Mass.) checked in with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Junior forward Chanelle Melton (Brockton, Mass.) paced Bridgewater State with 18 points and 11 rebounds as she recorded her first double-double of the season. Melton also finished with two assists, three blocked shots and a steal. Sophomore guard Jennifer Whyte (Braintree, Mass.) poured in a career and team-high 19 points as she went 5-for-11 from three-point range and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

Senior guard Vanessa Conceicao (New Bedford, Mass.) notched her second career double-double with 13 points and a career-high ten assists to go along with six boards and two steals, while junior forward Jennie Lindland (Edgartown, Mass.) rounded out the Bears' double-figure scorers with 11 points.

The game featured eight ties and 16 lead changes with neither team leading by more than seven points.

The Bears trailed by two with under 20 seconds remaining in regulation when freshman guard Sara DaSilva (Chelmsford, Mass.) converted an uncontested layup off a nice feed from senior guard Stephanie DeSantis (Walpole, Mass.) to knot the score at 71-71. Both teams had an opportunity to win the game in the final 18 seconds of regulation but were unable to convert.

Murphy scored on the Beacons' opening possession of overtime to give the visitors a 73-71 lead. However, a White three-pointer sandwiched around free throws from DeSantis and Conceicao put the Bears on top, 76-73, with 3:07 left to play.

UMass responded with ten straight points and held the Bears scoreless for nearly three minutes to open up a seven point lead (83-76).  Geary scored six points during the spurt while Edwards added four.  Bridgewater went 0-for-4 from the floor and turned the ball over twice during that span.

A Melton layup with 15 seconds remaining ended the run and cut the deficit to 83-78.  Burston made 1 of 2 free throws at the other end of the floor to push the Beacon advantage back up to six. BSU sophomore guard Rhiana Page (Brookline, Mass.) converted a layup off a pass from Conceicao and was fouled with eight seconds showing on the scoreboard to make it a four-point game, 84-80.  The ensuing free throw, however, was missed and Melton was unable to convert after collecting the offensive board as UMass hung on for the win.

The Beacons shot 44% (31-70) from the floor including 7-for-17 (41%) from behind the arc, while holding the Bears to 35% (28-79) shooting. Bridgewater also went 8-for-29 (28%) from long range.

The Bears did force 22 turnovers and committed only 11, but held just a 15-12 advantage in points off turnovers.

Both teams struggled at the free throw line. UMass went 15-for-27 (56%) at the charity stripe, while BSU finished 16-for-29 (55%).

Both teams are back in action on Saturday afternoon. The Bears travel to Amherst, Massachusetts for a two o'clock game against nationally ranked Amherst College, while the Beacons host Little East Conference foe Western Connecticut State University at one.