BOSTON, Mass. - UMass Boston Women's Basketball hosted Wheaton College for the final game of the 2023 calendar year on Sunday. The Beacons opened up an eight-point lead after three quarters of play, but a ferocious comeback put the Lyons on top after the final buzzer, 49-45.

THE BASICS
UMass Boston 45, Wheaton College 49

UMass Boston (3-7)
Wheaton College (6-6)

HOW IT HAPPENED
A layup from Alexah Potter and a three-pointer from Paige Olivierre flipped an early 4-0 deficit into a one-point advantage. A Wheaton triple and a midrange jumper from Sophie Bradbury kept the game tied. Late baskets from Kayla Jackson, Sibayla Jensen, and Potter sent the Beacons into the second quarter with a four-point lead.

Four straight points from Potter and a pair of Sunny Green free throws put the hosts ahead by five, but Wheaton's Nasha Arnold put down all three free throws after getting hit on a three-point attempt. A Skyeler Sandison layup pushed the UMass Boston lead back to four heading into halftime.

In the third quarter, six quick points from Potter and a jumper from Green put the Beacons up by eight. Five points from Bradbury outpaced three from Wheaton to extend the lead to double-digits. A pair of free throws cut the lead to 36-28 with ten minutes to play.

A 15-5 run by the Lyons to open the fourth put the visitors out in front with under three minutes to play. Layups from Potter and Keriann Farina gave the lead back to the Beacons, but that would be the end of their scoring. The Lyons finished the game on a 6-0 run to win by a final score of 49-45.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Potter's 18 points and Jensen's nine rebounds were both game-highs by a UMass Boston player this season
• The Beacons dominated the battle down low, outsourcing Wheaton 28-12 in the paint
• The Lyons have won all three meetings in the all-time series between the two teams

WHO'S NEXT
The Beacons will return to Little East Conference play on Wednesday, January 3 when they host the University of Southern Maine for a 5 PM tipoff.