Box Score PLYMOUTH, N.H.—UMass Boston women's basketball used a late 9-0 run to pull away from host Plymouth State University 69-61 in both team's regular-season finale.
THE BASICS
UMass Boston 69, Plymouth State University 61
(UMass Boston 19-6, Little East 10-6)
(Plymouth State 4-21, Little East 0-16)
HOW IT HAPPENED
With the Beacons leading 54-53 with 3:12 to play, UMass Boston scored nine points in a row to open up a 63-53 with 93 seconds to play. With the victory, UMass Boston wrapped up the #4 seed in the Little East Conference Tournament and will host rival #5 UMass Dartmouth on Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m. in the LEC Quarterfinals.
Joie Grassi (Plymouth, Mass.) led the Beacons with 18 points, 12 rebounds (six offensive) and five assists in the victory.
Jalani Jackson (Brockton, Mass.) tacked on 17 points, including five during the Beacons' key 9-0 run. She added four rebounds and four assists.
Tahjai Mazyck (Hamden, Conn.) recorded 10 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Off the bench, senior Jamie Staples (Amherst, Mass) registered nine points.
Plymouth State freshman Jalen Cook led all players with a game and career-high 25 points. Cook went 8-13 from the field, 5-6 from distance and 4-4 from the charity stripe. The freshman added a team-high nine rebounds and four assists.
Alessia Salzillo chipped in 14 points for the hosts, who closed out their season with their 16th loss in 16 conference contests.
UMass Boston struggled to get anything going in the first quarter. After Alecia Quinones (Stoughton, Mass.) opened the scoring, Plymouth State scored the next seven points to take a 7-2 lead. UMass Boston cut the deficit to 11-10, only to see the hosts close the quarter on a 10-3 run.
The Beacons would turn the game on its head in the second quarter. UMass Boston opened the stanza on a 17-2 run. Kaylee Haynes (Bridgewater, Mass.) hit a 3-pointer to open the quarter, only for Cook to respond with a jumper of her own.
From that point on, it was all UMass Boston. Mazcyk hit a jumper and Grassi followed with a 3-point play to cut the deficit to 22-21. Staples gave the Beacons the lead with a jump shot and Geanna Williams (Cromwell, Conn.) and Mazyck followed with baskets to make it 27-22. Staples capped off the run with a 3-pointer with 4:53 to go in the half and the Beacons leading 30-22.
Plymouth State shut the Beacons down from there, as they scored the final three points of the half to go into the half trailing 30-25.
The third quarter was much more even, with Plymouth State tying the game at 41 on a buzzer-beating, 3-pointer from Cook to end the quarter.
UMass Boston had the slightly better end of things through the first seven minutes of the fourth, but the Beacons were struggling to pull away. They finally got some breathing room during their game-changing 9-0 run.
Grassi hit a layup to open the flurry and Jackson followed with a 3-pointer. Senior Maia Daugherty (Boston, Mass.) added a layup and then Jackson recorded two free throws to give the Beacons a 63-53 lead with 1:33 left.
Plymouth State cut the deficit to seven on one occasion, but the Beacons hit 4-6 free throws to ice the game.
BY THE NUMBERS
- UMass Boston finished the game shooting 37.5 percent (24-64) from the field, 23.1 percent (6-26) from distance and 65.2 percent (15-23) from the free throw line.
- With the win, UMass Boston earned the season-sweep of the Panthers and extended their winning streak over Plymouth State to seven-straight. UMass Boston trails the all-time series 48-27.
- Grassi moved into sixth-place in program history for career points (1,144) on Saturday. She passed Little East Conference and UMass Boston Hall of Famer Stephanie Bogues ('89) in the second quarter.
- The Beacons earned a 49-28 advantage in rebounds and an 18-0 lead in bench points.
- Grassi also moved into ninth-place in program history with 619 career rebounds. She passed former teammate Raven Kelsey ('18) on Saturday.
- Jackson finishes the regular-season as the Little East Conference leader in points per game (15.9).
WHO'S NEXT
#4 UMass Boston will square off with rival #5 UMass Dartmouth for the second time in less than a week. The Beacons swept the regular-season series against the Corsairs, including a 65-60 win in Boston on Wednesday. Game time for Tuesday night's LEC Quarterfinal game will be at 5:30 p.m.
