University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Brown
All-Around Effort Carries UMass Past Brown, 69-54
December 05, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 5, 2009
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - With a balanced effort, the UMass women's basketball team rolled to a 69-54 victory over Brown on Saturday afternoon at the Brown Bear Classic. For the fourth time in the past two seasons, the Minutewomen (4-4) advance to the championship game of an in-season tournament and will play either Morgan State or Quinnipiac on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Bears drop to 2-6 on the year following the loss.
Sophomore Kristina Danella totaled 16 points to lead three UMass scorers in double figures and pulled down six rebounds. Freshman Jasmine Watson followed with 13 points, aided by perfect 4-for-4 shooting from the floor, and had seven rebounds and two blocks. Redshirt-junior Megan Zullo added 10 points, five boards and five steals and senior Kim Benton posted a career-best eight rebounds, a team-high. Also contributing off the bench for the Minutewomen, sophomore Emilie Teuscher chipped in with nine points to set a career high and went 3-for-3 from three-point range. Sophomore Nicole Jones played 15 minutes and had seven points.
Through much of the first half, the teams were evenly matched as neither side led by more than four. Then with 6:36 left in the period, Danella drained a three to spark an 18-5 run for UMass, which included 11 points from the sophomore forward. With the score tied at 17, Danella hit another trey at the 4:18 mark that put the Minutewomen in front for good. She followed up with a pair of free throws for the squad's next two points and hit two more with 2.6 seconds remaining to give UMass a 32-21 edge at halftime.
A three by Hanna Passafuime at the 13:21 mark of the second half brought the Bears back to within eight, but that was as close as Brown would come. The Minutewomen led by as many as 25 and no fewer than 15 over the final 10 minutes of the contest.
UMass, shot 47.6% (10-21) in the opening half, including 5-13 (38.5%) from three after rebounding from an 0-5 start beyond the arc. The Minutewomen finished 18-for-42 (42.9%) overall, 10-for-27 (37.0%) from three and 23-for-36 (63.9%) at the free throw line. Brown shot 19-for-52 (36.5%), 7-for-19 (36.8%) from three-point range and 9-for-14 at the charity stripe. UMass' bench contributed 46 points, compared to 14 for the Bears.
Passafuime totaled a game-high 25 points on 8-for-12 shooting and was the lone scorer for Brown with more than 10. Natalie Bonds logged nine rebounds and Courtney Lee compiled eight points and four assists.
