NORTH DARTMOUTH, MA (February 12, 2025) – The Beacons' women's basketball team (8-15, 5-8 Little East Conference) fell short in their effort against the number-23 squad in NCAA DIII (d3hoops.com), the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs (19-2, 11-0 LEC), on the road in North Dartmouth, MA.

All 11 Beacons who saw minutes against the Corsairs found twine, as the entire team contributed offensively in their effort against the LEC's top team.

How it Happened:

First Quarter:

• Sabanna Berrios (Providence, R.I.) opened the scoring with a fastbreak layup to put the Beacs on the board first.
• She scored the following two baskets to keep the Beacons within range at five points in the early goings.
• A Vanessa Bucha (Aschnuet, Mass.) layup followed by a Samora Merchant (Brookfield, Conn.) free throw line jumper closed out the quarter on a high note for UMass Boston, as they held the Corsairs to 16 points in the first, their lowest quarter total of the game.

Second Quarter

• Following a pair of blocked shots on the defensive end from Merchant and first-year Ashleigh Lagor (Millbury, Mass.), Tatiannah Fevry (Dracut, Mass.) opened the second quarter from the free throw line, going 2-2 to strike first in the quarter.
• Merchant connected with another midrange jumper to creep within four points of the deficit.
• The Corsairs built a 2-10 run in the ensuing minutes before sophomore rookie Hialeah Turner-Foster's (Mashpee, Mass.) layup broke the ice, followed by a steal from Berrios and a score by Lagor, keeping the Beacons within 10 points.
• Berrios cut back into a single-digit deficit with a paint jumper to make it an eight-point game.
• The Corsairs closed out the quarter with a pair of threes to jump back to a 15-point advantage.
• Berrios led the way with eight of the Beacons' 23 total points at the halftime horn.

Third Quarter

• The Beacons tallied 13 points in the third quarter led by five points each from Sibayla Jensen (Portland, Ore.) and Tajeiha Madison (Brockton, Mass.).
• Jensen opened the quarter with a strong and-one finish on the fastbreak, converting the three-point play to score first for UMass Boston.
• With halfway to go in the quarter, Madison hit back-to-back shots, including her first three-pointer of the game.
• Lagor ended the quarter with the Beacons' second triple of the game.

Fourth Quarter:

• Jordis Tautalatasi (Springfield, Mass.) scored first in the final quarter with a paint jumper.
• Jensen scored four consecutive for the Beacs through her continued presence in the paint.
• The Beacons scored 10 to the Corsairs' 13 points in the final five minutes, closed out by a pair of good free throws from Bucha to give the Beacons 55 in the effort against the Corsairs.

By the Box:

• It was a total team effort for UMass Boston offensively, with Jensen leading all 11 Beacons' scorers with nine points, followed by Berrios with eight points, Lagor with seven points, Merchant with six, and Madison and Turner-Foster each with five.
• Merchant tied her career-high single-game blocks total, sending back four of the Corsairs' shots. She also tied Lagor in a team-high seven-rebound performance on the glass.
• Lagor was a point forward tonight, dishing out a team-high three assists with her seven boards.
• Jensen, Fevry, and Berrios each swiped two steals defensively.
• The Beacons shot 21-52 (40.4%) from the field, scored 28 bench points, 10 off turnovers, and 28 points in the paint.

Who's Next:

• The Beacons close out the final two LEC regular season games at home, first on Saturday against the Plymouth State Panthers at 1:00 p.m. in a unique National Girls and Women in Sports Day coverage featuring an all-female operations team.