BOSTON – UMass Boston women’s basketball knocked down a season-high 11 three-pointers, en-route to their third-highest scoring output in program history Wednesday night in 95-91 win over Westfield State University.
In the highest-combined scoring game in UMass-Boston program history, five Beacons finished with 15 or more points to help the Beacons snap a two-game losing streak against the Owls.
After a rocky start to the game in which they turned the ball over five times in the opening 1:53, UMass Boston took control of the game late in the first quarter and never game it back. Westfield State led 15-8 with 4:12 to go in the quarter, only to have the Beacons close the stanza on a 14-3 run.
The Beacons used a pair of Geary threes and an old-fashioned 3-point play from Jordan to wrestle the lead away for good against the Owls.
Kierra McCarthy scored 22 points to lead Westfield in a 95-91 loss at UMass Boston on Wednesday evening. (WSU file photo)
UMass Boston would extend their lead to 51-42 at the break, thanks to hitting 10 of 13 free throws in the second quarter.
The hosts would stretch the lead out to 67-51 midway through the third quarter, but Westfield State came racing back. Westfield State cut the deficit to 75-69 at the end of the third and made it a four-point game at 79-75 with 6:58 left.
With their backs against the wall and their legs running out of steam, UMass Boston went on an 8-3 run to put the game out of reach for the moment. Edwards, Kelsey and Geary all contributed three points and the Beacons limited Westfield to one field goal in a 2:40 span to make it 88-78 with 4:16 left.
Westfield State had one final answer though, as they used a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 88-85 with 2:20 left.
It was all Edwards from there, as the senior scored on each of the next three Beacons possessions to push the lead to 94-87 with 1:12 left.
Junior Raven Kelsey (Boston, Mass.) led the Beacons with a team-high 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. The reigning Little East Conference Player of the Week hit 6-of-10 shots and knocked down four 3-pointers, while adding four assists and two steals.
Senior Katrina Edwards (Springfield, Mass.) and Katie Mathieu also finished with double-doubles in the win. Edwards recorded 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Mathieu chipped in with 16 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high six assists in a team-high 34 minutes.
Chantel Jordan (Brockton, Mass.) added 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Off the bench Grace Geary (Falmouth, Mass.) turned in her best performance since opening night, as the junior finished with 17 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Westfield State’s Kierra McCarthy led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting in just 20 minutes of total action. Jill Valley (20 points) and Allison Hester (12 points) were the only other double-digit scorers for the Owls, who dropped their third-straight game.
The Owls used 17 players in the contests, as they constantly employed full-court pressure and rotated five players in at a time.
BY THE NUMBERS: UMass Boston’s 95 points were their most the 1983-84 opener. The Beacons scored 117 points in a 117-17 win over Endicott on November 25, 1983.
The two teams combined for 186 points, which marks the most points in a single game in program history. The previous mark was set on December 2, 2006, when the Beacons defeated Eastern Connecticut State University 93-86 in overtime (179 points).
UMass Boston finished 11-for-27 from behind the arc (40.7 percent). The Beacons just missed the single-game mark for 3-pointers in a game of 12, which was set three different times.
The two teams combined for 63 fouls and 63 turnovers, with the Beacons finished with 34 of each. UMass Boston ended the game with two of their nine available players fouled out and three others with four fouls.
UMass Boston set a new program record with their 29 assists in a single game.
WHO’S NEXT: UMass Boston will take a well-deserved break, before hosting Clark University (Mass.) on December 30 at 5:30 p.m. Westfield State will host local rival Springfield College on Friday, Decmber 16 at 7:00 p.m. The Owls will travel to Nashville, Tennessee for a pair of games in the Music City Classic on December 28 and 29. – Courtesy of Westfield State University Sports
