University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
New Hampshire
UNH Slips Past Women's Basketball, 58-57
November 20, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 20, 2009
DURHAM, N.H. - After shooting a blistering 57 percent from three-point range in the first half, the UMass women's basketball team was unable to keep up the pace in the second as New Hampshire eked out a 58-57 victory over the Minutewomen (1-2) on Friday evening at Lundholm Gym. Jill McDonald made a pair of free throws with 12.5 seconds remaining to seal the victory for the Wildcats (2-1).
Sophomore Kristina Danella and redshirt junior Megan Zullo each posted a team-best 14 points for UMass. Danella finished a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line, while Zullo made four of the seven three-pointers she attempted. Junior Cerie Mosgrove was the third Minutewoman to record a double-figure point total as she scored 12, shooting 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. Freshman Jasmine Watson brought down a squad-best seven rebounds and senior Kim Benton had three steals.
After Danella opened the scoring with a layup at 19:19, UNH hit the next three baskets to take a 7-2 lead. UMass caught fire shortly after as Zullo had the next nine points for the Minutewomen, draining three treys to give the squad a 19-12 advantage. UMass led by as many as 15 in the first half as Watson made her second of two free throws with 2:43 in the period.
The Minutewomen shot 50% (11-22) in the first half, including 8-for-14 from beyond the arc (57.1%) and made 5-of-6 at the free throw line to hold a 35-26 edge at the intermission. The Wildcats were limited to 9-28 shooting from the field, 2-for-9 (22.2%) from three-point range, in the period.
After hitting three more threes to help expand the UMass advantage to 18 with 17:39 to play in the second half, the offense went cold for the Minutewomen. UMass made just two field goals in the remainder of the contest as New Hampshire outscored the Minutewomen 30-11 the rest of the way.
UNH chipped away at its deficit until finally pulling ahead, 49-48 with 6:22 left in the period. Even though Danella hit two free throws with 39 seconds on the clock to give UMass a 57-56 lead, McDonald was fouled at the other end of the court with 12 seconds left. She made her pair from the charity stripe before the Wildcats' defense came up with a stop at the buzzer.
Candace Williams led all scorers with 17 points, made 9-of-10 free throws for UNH and also pulled down seven boards, six on the offensive glass. Denise Beliveau followed with 15 points and contributed three steals, while McDonald narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.
New Hampshire shot 20-for-53 (37.7%) for the game, including 11-for-25 (44%) in the second half, to UMass' 17-for-47 from the field (36.2%). The Minutewomen finished 11-for-24 (45.8%) from three-point range to the Wildcats' 3-for-14 (21.4%). UNH held a 28-8 edge in points in the paint and 12-9 in second chance points.
UMass will be back in action this Sunday, Nov. 22, when the squad will play host to Villanova at 2 p.m. in the Mullins Center.
