Women’s Basketball Earns 88-83 Comeback Win over UMass Dartmouth

DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The Western New England University women's basketball team overcame a 13-point fourth quarter deficit and went on to earn an 88-83 victory over UMass Dartmouth in overtime on Saturday in the opening round of the Lafrance Hospitality Tournament at the Tripp Athletic Center.

Top Performers
Five Golden Bears scored in double figures, led by senior guard Emily Farrell (New Fairfield, Conn.), who finished with a team-high 19 points, eight assists and four rebounds. Senior forward Courtney Carlson (Woodbury, Conn.) scored 18 points to go with four rebounds, two assists and two steals, while senior forward Meghan Orbann (East Hampton, Conn.) totaled ten points, eight boards and four assists.

Western New England received strong contributions off the bench from junior guards Julia Quinn (Thomaston, Conn.) and Lauren Chadwick (Gardiner, Maine) and junior forward Emily Scurka (Billerica, Mass.). Quinn provided 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals, while Chadwick recorded eight points, seven boards, four assists and two steals. Scurka chipped in with ten points and two rebounds in 14 minutes of action.

Senior guard Ashley Brown (New Bedford, Mass.) paced the Corsairs with a near triple double performance as she produced 19 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. Sophomore guard Jordan Moretti (Johnston, R.I.) also scored 19 points, while senior guard Kayla McMahon (Hanover, Mass.) added 12.

Game Review
UMass Dartmouth, which led 19-14 after one quarter and 39-32 at halftime, pushed its advantage into double figures (44-32) for the first time on a three-pointer by sophomore Jessica Carroll (Deep River, Conn.) early in the third period.

Following a Farrell layup, the Corsairs scored the next five points to extend their lead to 15 (49-34), and they found themselves ahead by the same margin (60-45) with 1:21 left in the quarter. Western New England was able to end the frame on a 4-0 run with layups by Farrell and Scurka to close the gap to 11 (60-49) heading into the fourth.

The Golden Bears faced a 13-point deficit (62-49) after a McMahon layup early in the final quarter, before using an 8-0 spurt fueled by Carlson and Chadwick to get back to within five (62-57) with 7:30 on the clock.

Western New England continued to chip away, eventually pulling even at 66-66 when Orbann connected on a three-pointer with 4:15 left in regulation. The Corsairs regained the lead on four occasions down the stretch, but each time the Golden Bears were able to come up with a game-tying basket.

Trailing 74-72 with 20 seconds to play, Chadwick recorded a steal and layup to tie the score for the final time. UMass Dartmouth had an opportunity to win it late, but Brown was off the mark with her three-point attempt.

The Golden Bears made their first three shots in overtime, including a triple by Quinn that capped a 7-0 run and put Western New England ahead 81-74. Freshman Jennifer Driscoll (Westport, Mass.) answered with a three-pointer for the Corsairs, but the Golden Bears scored the next six points to extend their lead to ten (87-77) and put the game out of reach.

Notes
• Western New England connected on 12-of-16 field goal attempts over the final 15 minutes of play (4^th quarter and overtime).
• The Golden Bears outrebounded the Corsairs 46-35 and recorded assists on 26 of their 35 made field goals.

Up Next
Western New England (2-1) will take on Babson in the championship game of the Lafrance Hospitality Tournament on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. UMass Dartmouth (2-1) faces Union in the consolation contest at noon.