DARTMOUTH, Mass. - UMass Boston Women's Basketball had an opportunity to overtake WestConn for fifth place in the Little East Conference standings but could not overcome the strong defense of UMass Dartmouth in a 60-45 loss on Wednesday evening. The Beacons hold onto a one game lead over the University of Southern Maine for the sixth and final seed in the LEC Tournament. 
 
THE BASICS
 
UMass Boston 45, UMass Dartmouth 60
 
UMass Boston (11-10, LEC 4-7)

UMass Dartmouth (12-8, LEC 8-3)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
The Beacons opened the game on an 8-0 run courtesy of a layup from senior guard Keriann Farina and a pair of three-pointers from the newest member of the program's 1,000-point club, graduate forward Meg Dixon.
 
Dixon's 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor and a 4-for-6 performance from three on Wednesday brought her career total to 1,023, surpassing both Carol Thomas (1,010) and Jamila Gales (1,011) to move into ninth place in program history in career scoring.
 
The Corsairs quickly erased the early lead, taking their first advantage with five minutes remaining in the first. A quick 10-0 run flipped a three-point UMass Dartmouth deficit to a 17-10 lead.
 
The Beacons hit their stride on defense in the second quarter. After allowing a game-worst 21 points in the first, they held the Corsairs to just eight in the second. Meanwhile, Dixon's seven points in the frame helped the Beacons close the deficit to just four points at the half, 29-25.
 
It was the Corsair's defense, however, that was the story of the second half. UMass Dartmouth held the visitors to just 10 points in each of the final two quarters, going on to win the game by a final score of 60-45.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Wednesday marked Dixon's ninth 20-point game of the season
• UMass Dartmouth's 60 points were their fewest in a game since December 31 against No. 10 Smith
• The Beacons outscored the Corsairs 10-7 on second chance points
• The Beacons have now lost five straight to the Corsairs, dropping their all time record in the series to 21-48

 
WHO'S NEXT
The Beacons will return home on Saturday, February 4 for a 1:00 PM tip-off against Plymouth State. They will look to build on a dominant first matchup with the Panthers which they won by a final score of 55-35 in Plymouth on January 7.