By Michaela Gates, Staff Writer
The UMass Dartmouth women’s basketball team had a dominant performance this past Saturday against LEC rival Plymouth State as they downed the Panthers 87-69 on the road. The last week as a tough one for the Corsairs as they dropped two close games to Bowdoin and Rodger Williams leaving them at 1-2 in their last three games.
Plymouth was however another story altogether as the women of UMassD added some force to the choke hold they already have in the LEC. While the Corsairs had their best offensive showing of the season, one cannot ignore the fantastic defense they played the entire night.
Plymouth shot a very abysmal 41 percent from the field, given that it explains perfectly how the Corsairs managed to hold the Panthers to under 70 points. Not to mention Nakira Examond and Alicia Kutil also controlled the glass masterfully for the Corsairs as they both finished the game with a team high nine rebounds.
Leah Doughty though was an offensive weapon for the Corsairs as she absolutely steam rolled the Panthers defense for 20 points on the night. Doughty also could not miss from beyond the arc as she drained a very impressive four three pointers on the night.
UMassD had one of their best quarters in the entire season to start the night as they dropped 24 points in the first quarter. It did not seem to be enough for the Corsairs though as they managed to drop 26 in the next quarter.
What is also remarkable about the Corsairs win is how well their bench played about a quarter of their points were scored by their bench. This is a stark contrast to Plymouth who only had a total of 10 bench points in the game.
It is also worth noting that the Corsairs managed to shoot over 50 percent from the three point arc as they went 13 for 24. Given how well this team is shooting and playing in general, they are certainly a team to start following.
The women were in the NCAA Elite Eight last season and are looking to go deeper this year. Given their talent I really cannot see how they won’t, even the two blemishes they currently have on their record are both to ranked teams.
To add to that, four out of the five players in their starting line-up are averaging over twelve points a game. The bench has also been contributing consistently as I mentioned earlier in the article.
This is a team that does not rely on star power to win, every night it is all five players, playing offense, playing defense, while the bench is relentless. It may seem over simplified, however this team is using a basic formula to play great team basketball.
Do not miss your chance to watch these girls play as they very well might end up bringing home yet another banner, whether it be another LEC title or another deep trip into the NCAA tourney with these girls.