UMass Boston Women’s Basketball has not had the start to the season they were looking for when tip-off began. According to Beacons Athletics, after losing eight of nine matches and failing to hang on in a close matchup against Eastern Connecticut State University on Jan. 20 at home to drop to a 4–12 record, [1] the Beacons traveled to Danbury, Conn. to take on the 5–13 Western Connecticut State University Wolves. [2] UMass Boston got the best of them the first time these two teams met Dec. 6, and a second win would get them out of last place in the Little East Conference standings, as seen on the LEC’s website. [3]
Alexah Potter won the tip-off for the Beacons, while Keriann Farina got UMass Boston on the score sheet, and ultimately kept the Beacons afloat, as neither team was able to jump out to a significant lead in the first quarter. The Wolves and the Beacons were trading shots until halfway through the first, when junior forward Sunny Green hit a pair of free throws to put the Beacons up 8–7. With time expiring in the first, UMass Boston was able to go up two until Sydney Craig of Western Connecticut banked on a mid-range jumper to even the score at 12 apiece as the first quarter came to a close. [2]
The second quarter belonged to UMass Boston’s freshman guard Maddie Parks, going 3–4 from the floor and scoring six points. Freshman Sophie Bury went 2–3 from the floor, and knocked down an essential three-point shot off an assist from Parks, contributing to the Beacons’ 12-point cushion with under five minutes left until half. UMass Boston shot 50 percent in the second and went into halftime with a decent, but vulnerable 34–27 lead, as both teams headed to the locker room with adjustments in mind. [2]
Western Connecticut came out swinging to begin the second half, as senior center Gabrielle Franks delivered an and-one layup to start things off and followed up with another forceful drive in the paint to finish in the lane, further diminishing WestConn’s deficit. The Beacons were able to answer with some points of their own and built their lead up to 12 points, but the Wolves kept within striking distance by outsourcing and outboarding UMass Boston in the quarter by one. The Beacons were able to hold on to the lead 51–45 heading to the fourth quarter, but things were starting to look interesting. [2]
The Wolves held on to their previously gained momentum going into the final minutes of the game, holding the Beacons scoreless for the first four minutes and trimming the Beacons lead. Later on though, sophomore forward Kayla Jackson hit a pair of free throws to keep UMass Boston within one point in the game. However, the Wolves defense held them to only eight points in the quarter, with UMass Boston scoring six of those points in the final five minutes, while Western Connecticut State rained down a full 21 points of their own. [2]
The Beacons would go on to lose 66–59, losing grip of a decent half-time lead, further letting an extremely winnable, must-win game slip through their fingertips. After succumbing to the Wolves, UMass Boston became losers of nine of their last ten and dropped to 4–13. Now, with their backs against the wall, women’s basketball will need to do everything they can to get back in the win column and hope for nothing short of a miracle to make the LEC tournament. Look out for when the Keene State Owls travel to Columbia Point to take on the Beacons Saturday, Feb. 3; the Beacons will be hungry for a win and will look to spark an end-of-season rampage. Surely, it’ll be a game that one won’t want to miss. [3]
[1] https://beaconsathletics.com/sports/womens-basketball/schedule