Box Score BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Women's Basketball team held on late for a 77-75 non-conference victory over the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth.
It was a closely contested game throughout the night with both sides battling back and forth. Roger Williams held a slim 15-14 lead after the opening quarter, but the Corsairs answered right back in the second quarter to make it a 29-all game after the first 20 minutes of play.
In the third, UMass-Dartmouth's Nakira Examond (New Bedford, Mass.) scored the first basket to give the Corsairs the lead, but
Mariah Nicholas (Acushnet, Mass.) came back on the other end for RWU to put the Hawks on top. She hit the first of two free throws, grabbed her own rebound on the miss and knocked down a jumper to put RWU back up by one.
RWU would eventually go up by as many as six (44-38) but UMass-Dartmouth came back with 14-6 to take a five-point lead with under a minute remaining. A Gabby Jerahian (Quincy, Mass.) three in the closing seconds brought RWU within two entering the fourth.
The final quarter was neck and neck, with eight ties and 11 lead changes. The turning point came with under ten seconds to play and UMD leading by one. A Corsair foul led to a pair of free throws for RWU. Nicholas sank one of two, with
Stephanie Bramante (Stoneham, Mass.) grabbing the board on the second.
The Corsairs would commit a foul with 2.3 seconds left, sending Nicholas back to the line where she would hit both shots for the lead. On the final possession for UMD, the Corsairs had a good look at a three-pointer but hit it off the back rim, giving RWU the win.
Nicholas went for 27 points and eight rebounds, while
Anna Walther (Northampton, Mass.) scored 22 with three assists.
Teagan Dunn (Burlington, Conn.) added seven points and 13 rebounds.
Examond notched a double-double with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Alicia Kutil (Franklin, Mass.) had 14 points while Leah Douty (Framingham, Mass.) added 13 points, six rebounds, and four steals.
Roger Williams (3-1) hosts Rhode Island College on Sunday. UMass-Dartmouth (2-1) heads to Bridgewater State next Tuesday.
