Allison Coleman of Eastern Connecticut State had a double-double (16 points, 14 assists) to lead the Warriors past the UMass Boston Beacons 78-56 in the final regular season game of the 2003-04 season. The Beacons finished the season with a 7-16 record, 3-11 in the Little East Conference.
The Beacons played a very competitive first half, holding leads of five points three times. Eastern Connecticut State, however, stormed back, taking a 12-11 lead on a Coleman three pointer.
The Warriors twice built nine-point leads (25-16, 31-22) as the Beacons offense went into a bit of a funk. But the Beacons finished the half on a 12-6 run with a combination of defensive intensity and ECSU turnovers.
The second half was like playing in the mud for the Beacons. The Warriors consistently beat the Beacons up the floor off missed shots. The advantage in the paint was overwhelming for ECSU, out rebounding UMB 53-31.
Offensively, no Beacon player had a great game. Sophomore Aga Matel led the way in scoring for UMB with 10 points on 4 for 12 shooting. Elmina Darville added 9 points. Departing senior Indya Mitchell only managed 6 points.
UMB headed to the campus of Southern Maine in a first round match-up with the top seeded Huskies on Tuesday, February 24. If the Beacons pull off a big upset, then the team will go onto the second round on Saturday at a site to be determined by the outcomes of their other LEC tournament games.