Nov. 19, 2011

Box Score

BOSTON, Mass. – With a team-high 19 points from Tasha Bernardez (Roxbury, Mass.) and 12 points from Lauren Perra (Taunton, Mass.), women's basketball (1-1) earned a spot in the championship game of the 2011 UMass Boston Women's Basketball Tip-Off tournament, following their first-round 74-40 win over Berkeley College (N.Y.) Friday evening in the Clark Athletic Center.

Bernardez was solid from start to finish for the Beacons as she ended the night 9-for-15 from the floor and 1-for-2 at the line.  Perra, who also started in Friday's game, was 6-for-9 to earn career-high mark. 

As a team, the Beacons shot 48.5% on 33-of-68 shooting, while the defense held the Knights (0-1) to just 13-of-65 shooting (20%).  From behind the arc, Berkeley was just 1-for-4, while UMass Boston went 3-for-9.

For the visitors it was Taisha Sherman who scored 21 of the team's 40 points.  She was 7-of-26 from the field, which included the team's only 3-pointer and six of their 13 made free throws.  On the glass she pulled down nine boards, while teammate Kyscharece Young recorded a game-high 10 rebounds.

Bernardez and Brittany Moore (Billerica, Mass.) were tied with a team-high seven rebounds each.  Elisa Ogawa (Yamanashi, Japan), and freshman center Kirsten Morrison (North Reading, Mass.) were next in-line with six boards each.  Friday's contest was the first for Morrison, who earlier this fall helped the UMass Boston volleyball team to the NCAA Regional tournament, while also earning Little East Conference Rookie of the Year honors.

As a squad the Beacons held a +14 advantage in rebounds (52-38), with 38 of those 52 boards coming on the defensive side of the court.

Proving to be the deciding factor in Friday's win, was UMass Boston's ability to score inside the paint as they combined for 46 points.  The Beacons bench also got their fair share of the action combining for 29 points.

From the opening tip, the Beacons controlled the momentum of Friday's contest, as they did not allow Berkeley to score their first point until 12:30 of the first half.  By that time, UMass had already jumped out to an 18 point lead.  After that early spark, the Beacons never looked back, as they continued to add to their already growing lead.  By the end of the first half the Beacons held a 37-15 lead over the Knights.

The second half was just like the first, with a variety of UMass Boston players getting time in Friday's win.  The Beacons eventually extended their lead to 30, following a pair of free throws by Haley Van Orman (Shaftsbury, Vt.).   Berkeley would gain some late momentum, but would never get the Beacons lead to less than 18 points. 

Even with that late rally, UMass would continue to roll, eventually closing out the game with 7-0 run, with seven points coming from Van Orman.

Women's basketball will face Framingham State University in the championship game of the tip-off tournament at 3 p.m.  The Rams defeated the College of Staten Island by the final score of 51-48 in Friday's second game.