The Beacons fell to 8-13 and 5-7 in Little East Conference play Wednesday, Feb. 5, losing to the Southern Maine Huskies, 69-43, in a massive game for their LEC playoff aspirations.
The game was about as close as the score, and it was apparent from the tip-off. The Huskies jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the first five minutes of the game after a slew of three-pointers from Southern Maine’s Liz Cote and Dakota Shipley. Sabanna Berrios scored the Beacons’ first points of the game with a free throw at the very end of the first quarter to make it 16-1.
The lead stretched all the way out to an embarrassing 25-1, driven by Southern Maine’s efficient three-point shooting. UMass Boston head coach Heather Jacobs stayed consistent with her 2-3 defense, trying to consolidate the paint, but opened up an abundance of open, quality looks for the Huskies to capitalize on. Jacobs attempted to take away these open looks by being more aggressive on the three-point line, but allowed for Southern Maine’s high-low game to get going, causing poor matchups on the block.
Despite the score, the Beacons continued to look aggressive, showing real defensive intensity throughout the contest undeterred by the woeful score. Junior Tatianah Fervy created space with her shifty handle throughout the game, but struggled to make them fall. The leading Beacons scorer, Sabanna Berrios, had a rough shooting night, but made it up at the line by attacking the paint, going 7-10 from the stripe.
Vanessa Bucha continued her hot stretch of games for UMass Boston, going 4-10 from the field, and hitting the team’s only three while playing scrappy defense until the buzzer. The sophomore’s rise from role player to one of the team’s key pieces has been one of the biggest storylines through the Beacons’ tumultuous season.
Coach Jacobs, when asked how impactful Bucha has been as her roles increased, said, “Vanessa’s great; we count on her effort; she works really hard; causes a lot of chaos defensively. We can count on her to always give her best effort, and offensively she’s our three-point threat out there, so we’re happy with her growth and excited to see her continue to progress.”
The Beacons continued to create runs throughout the second half, keeping the game within reach; most notably at the end of the third quarter, where Bucha hit a three from the top of the key, followed up by a steal and free-throw line jumper from Berrios to cut the lead to 22.
However, Southern Maine’s absurd three-point shooting continued, killing UMass Boston’s run and ultimately sealing the win.
The Huskies’ Liz Cote finished with a game-high of 22 points, closing out the game with an NBA-range three in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter. After the game, when Coach Jacobs was asked how this rough loss could be used to prepare for the rest of the season, she said, “I think any time you win or lose, there’s always an opportunity to improve.”
Three days later, the Beacons took on the 6-5 Keene State Owls in enemy territory. UMass Boston fought to a three-point lead at half, but collapsed in the third quarter, were outscored 20-8 and failed to find their footing for the rest of the game. Sabanna Berrios had a very efficient 15 points, going 7-14 from the field and adding six rebounds to her sheet. Freshman Tajeiha Madison and Sophomore Hialeah Turner-Foster combined for 26 points off the bench, keeping UMass Boston in the game, but it wasn’t enough as the Beacons dropped their third straight, falling to 5-8 in LEC play and 8-14 overall, following their loss to Keene State.
