Moretti shines for UMD

Sophomore Jordan Moretti (Johnston) combined for 11 points and 12 rebounds for UMass Dartmouth, who enjoyed a 66-54 Little East Conference women’s basketball victory over Castleton last Saturday afternoon at the Tripp Athletic Center.

Senior Ashley Brown (New Bedford, Mass.) scored 19 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out six assists and recorded four steals to lead the UMass Dartmouth offense in the win.

After battling to a 31-31 deadlock at the break, the host Corsairs (7-2, 2-1 LEC) used a 19-5 run over the first 7:25 of the third quarter that was sparked by five points from sophomore Jessica Carroll (Deep River, Conn.) to take a 50-36 edge late in the stanza. The visiting Spartans (6-2, 1-1 LEC) responded by scoring the final seven points of the period to close back to within seven on senior Katlyn Toomey’s (North Adams, Mass.) lay-in at the buzzer, but UMass Dartmouth regained a double-digit advantage midway through the final quarter on a pair of Carroll free throws. Castleton crept back to within six (60-54) on freshman Elise Magro’s (Rutland, Vt.) jumper with 3:26 to play, but the hosts iced their triumph after Brown scored the final six points of the contest to account for the final margin.

Sophomore Shaelyn Carreiro (Fall River, Mass.) added 15 points and six boards in the win for the Corsairs, who received 13 points from Carroll along with eight points and four caroms from freshman Jennifer Driscoll (Westport, Mass.). Junior Lauren Empey (Middleboro, Mass.) and 

Magro notched 16 points and four boards in the setback for Castleton, which received 11 points and seven caroms off the bench from sophomore Kylie Wright (Coventry, Vt.). Senior Emilee Bose (Enosburg Falls, Vt.) added eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Spartans, who received nine boards from Toomey along with eight points and seven caroms from junior Brooke Raiche (Ira, Vt.). The visitors shot 33 percent (21-63) from the field and held a 50-38 advantage on the glass for the contest.

UMass Dartmouth will be idle until New Year’s Day when the Corsairs take on host Springfield in opening round play of the 2020 Holiday Inn/Naismith Classic in Springfield, Mass. that tips-off at 1 p.m., while Castleton hosts Colby-Sawyer in a non-league outing on Friday evening in Castleton, Vt. that tips-off at 7 p.m.