Box Score CASTLETON, Vt.—Castleton University used a 7-0 run late in the fourth quarter, to earn a 70-67 win over UMass Boston women's basketball on Wednesday night at Glenbrook Gymnasium.
THE BASICS
Castleton University 70, UMass Boston 67
(UMass Boston 16-6, Little East Conference 7-6)
(Castleton University 13-9, Little East Conference 8-5)
HOW IT HAPPENED
After the Beacons took just their second lead since the first quarter with 3:52 to play, Castleton scored on each of their next three possessions, to grab a 66-60 lead with 1:50 to play.
Jalani Jackson (Brockton, Mass.) drained a 3-pointer and Joie Grassi (Plymouth, Mass.) followed with a pair of free throw to cut the deficit to 66-65 with 46 seconds left. That would be as close as the Beacons would get though, as the Spartans scored on their final two possessions and the Beacons' last second 3-point heave fell wide of the mark.
Jackson paced the Beacons and tied for the game-high with 24 points. She finished 8-15 from the field, 4-8 from distance and 4-4 from the charity stripe.
Grassi added 18 points on 7-10 shooting and chipped in seven rebounds and two blocks. Tahjai Mazyck (Hamden, Conn.) and Geanna Williams (Cromwell, Conn.) finished tied for third on the team with seven points apiece.
Castleton junior Brooke Raiche paced the hosts with 24 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Elise Magro contributed 17 points, four rebounds and four assists and Emilee Bose tacked on 12 points.
UMass Boston found themselves playing from behind for nearly the entire game due to slow starts in each of the first three quarters and a slew of turnovers.
The Beacons led 5-4 almost three minutes into the game, before Castleton went on a 9-0 run. Raiche and Magro each hit 3-pointers during the 1:40 span.
UMass Boston fired back with an 8-0 run of their own to tie the game, only to see the Spartans go into the second quarter leading 18-15.
Castleton opened the second quarter on a 4-0 run to take a 22-15 lead. The Beacons countered with a 5-0 run of their own to tie the game (29-29) with 1:47 left in the half, only for the Spartans to close the half on a 5-2 run.
The third quarter was more of the same, as Castleton used a 5-0 flurry to take a 39-31 lead one minute into the quarter. With the Beacons trailing by 10 two minutes later, Jamie Staples (Amherst, Mass.) knocked down a crucial 3-pointer to spark a 14-4 run. Grassi and Jackson combined for nine of the 14 points to tie the game at 47 with 1:42 left in the third.
Castleton had an answer though, as they used a 6-0 run to regain the lead and went into the fourth leading 53-50 after Jackson converted a 3-point play with one second left in the quarter.
UMass Boston got off to a much better start in the fourth. Kaylee Haynes (Bridgewater, Mass.) scored the first basket of the quarter and Williams and Grassi drained back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Beacons a 58-55 advantage with 5:42 left.
After Castleton regained the lead (59-58), Haynes knocked down back-to-back free throws to give UMass Boston their final lead of the game (60-59) with 3:52 to play.
Magro hit back-to-back baskets to give Castleton the lead and Raiche closed out the 7-0 run with a 3-pointer.
BY THE NUMBERS
- UMass Boston shot a season-high 52.3 percent (23-44) from the field. The Beacons also went 9-22 (40.9 percent) from distance and 12-16 (75 percent) from the free throw line.
- With her 18 points, Grassi went over 1,100 points for he career. She needs just 14 points (1,130) to pass Little East Conference Hall of Famer Stephanie Bogues ('89) for sixth-place in program history.
- The Beacons' couldn't overcome their 22 turnovers. Castleton earned a 28-8 edge in points off turnovers and a 14-5 lead in second-chance points.
- UMass Boston is ranked a program-best 10th in the first NCAA Northeast Regional Rankings. The Beacons have two wins against regionally-ranked squads, including a win over Messiah College-the top-ranked team in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
- The Beacons are in the midst of their first three-game losing streak since the conclusion of the 2018-19 season.
- UMass Boston is now 1-3 all-time against Castleton. The Spartans won the two regular-season meetings this year by a combined seven points.
WHO'S NEXT
UMass Boston will return to action on Presidents' Day, when they travel to take on Western Connecticut State University on Monday at 2 p.m.
