Box Score PROVIDENCE, R.I. – With four players finishing in double-figures women's basketball was able to earn their first Little East Conference win of the season as they defeated Rhode Island College by the final of 71-63 Saturday afternoon.
THE BASICS
UMass Boston 71, Rhode Island College 63
UMass Boston (8-5, 1-2 Little East Conference)
Rhode Island College (3-8, 1-2 Little East Conference)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Led by 14 point performances from Raven Kelsey (Boston, Mass.) and Katrina Edwards (Springfield, Mass.), the Beacons notched their first conference victory in a convincing manner. Things got off to a great start for UMB as they jumped out to one-sided 20-8 lead through the first quarter. The Anchorwomen would close the deficit, but with the exception of a small two point lead in the opening seconds of the contest they would never lead on the scoreboard.
From the field, Kelsey finished 5-for-13, with two 3-pointers, and 2-for-5 at the charity stripe. Edwards went 5-for-8 from the field and 4-for-7 at the line. On the glass, Michaele Ilebode (Malden, Mass.) grabbed a career-high eight boards, while Chantel Jordan (Brockton, Mass.) led the Beacons starting five with eight rebounds of her own, as well as finishing with 12 points to cap-off a strong day for the junior guard.
Grace Geary (Falmouth, Mass.) also finished with 12 points to round out the Beacons top-4 scorers in Saturday's conference win. The Beacons hottest shooter right now dropped in a pair of 3-pointers to finish 3-for-8, while at the stripe she went 4-for-4.
The Beacons dominated the glass thanks to Illebode and Jordan, as they outrebounded the Anchorwomen 45-28. Seventeen of the boards came on the offensive glass, as the Beacons also dropped in 13 second chance points.
Senior Olivia Murphy (Canton, Mass.) continued to inch closer to history as the the All-American now sits just 16 rebounds away from her 1,000th. On the day, Murphy was held to just 11 minutes of action, and finished with four points and one steal.
BY THE NUMBERS
- All-time the Beacons are 12-56 against the Anchorwomen
- Saturday's win marked the third straight for the Beacons over Rhode Island College, which stands as the longest win-streak in program history
- Murphy now sits just 17 points away from moving into a tie for 3rd all-time for points as she now has 1,363 in her four seasons at UMass
- The conference victory also marked the first for interim head coach Kristina Baugh.
WHO'S NEXT
The Beacons will host Plymouth State University on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
