UMass Boston women’s basketball finished their 2024-25 season with a 10-16 overall record, which was good enough to earn the sixth seed for the LEC tournament. This is a huge step forward from last year, when they had an abysmal 5-18 effort with just one win on the road.
The Beacons also improved their conference play this past season, boasting a 7-9 record — a huge jump from a 3-13 record last year. Including a close game against Keene State with a final score of 50-47, where Sabanna Berrios and Vanessa Bucha both led the team in scoring with 14 points, UMass Boston also boasted back-to-back wins against Western Connecticut State (68-57, 60-44) and Plymouth State (65-58, 57-38).
The Beacons made their debut in the Hunter Tip-Off Tournament in New York City Nov. 22 and 23. They finished 1-1 with a win against Saint Elizabeth University. They scored 84 points, their second-highest point total for the year, behind only their 94 points in a win against Fitchburg State. UMass Boston also faced off against Hunter College where they lost 71-57.
Four Beacons scored in double-digits against Fitchburg State as Tatiannah Fevry led the way with 16 points, six rebounds and two assists. Sibayla Jensen recorded seven assists in the match which tied her season-high. UMass Boston played great defensively, allowing only 22 points in the first half for Fitchburg State — a total the Beacons amassed in the third quarter alone.
After they returned home from the tournament, they opened their LEC slate of the schedule in Danbury, Connecticut against the Western Connecticut State Wolves Dec. 1. They followed that with three straight conference contests, including welcoming Rhode Island College Dec. 4 and Eastern Connecticut State Dec. 7 to the Clark Athletic Center.
UMass Boston participated in the Sunshine Shootout in Daytona, Florida over winter break Dec. 28 and 29. Like the Hunter Tip-Off, they finished 1-1 with games against Stevens College and Amherst College. They picked up the hard-fought win against Stevens College 74-65, with Sammora Merchant making a huge impact with nine points, three rebounds, four assists and the Beacons’ only block of the game.
Their following 13 of 14 games were against LEC opponents. They finished with a record of 7-7 in that stretch, including a two-game win streak that propelled them into the last spot of the LEC tournament. UMass Boston drew the University of Southern Maine Huskies in the first round of the LEC tournament — a team they’ve struggled against. The Beacons were 0-2 against the Huskies with a combined score of 140-110 in both games. They’d go on to lose their tournament match in Southern Maine, after leading for the majority of the first three quarters.
Highlighting their season, Berrios played like an all-conference candidate and stepped up triumphantly in her first year with the team, averaging 13.7 points, and 8.3 assists. She led the team in total points, points per game and averaged the most minutes played with 28.6. Jensen led the team in assists with 2.7 and was second in steals with 2 per game, behind Fevry who had 2.1.
The Beacons will have a chance to improve their record for the third straight year next year under Head Coach Heather Jacobs.
