On Wednesday night, the Massachusetts women’s basketball team battled it out with Fordham, looking to win its second-straight Atlantic 10 conference game.
The Minutewomen (7-20, 3-9 A-10) were looking to climb up in the conference standings as they began the evening tied for 10th with the Rams (11-17, 3-9 in A 10) as well as George Washington.
Fordham began the night honoring its seven seniors in their final home game including senior manager Adrienne Pesce, guards Kristina Bell and Kyara Weekes and forwards Katie Vican, Tiffany Stokes, Caitlin Shadbolt and Alexandria Zamora.
Action got under way at 7 p.m. for the Minutewomen’s final road game of the regular season at Rose Hill.. UMass entered the game as underdogs, considering its 1-11 road record. However, the Minutewomen had won the last five meetings against Fordham, with their last loss dating back to Jan. 30, 2005.
UMass found itself in a hole in the first half, taking a 34-18 deficit into halftime. The Minutewomen jumped out to an early 14-6 lead, but were outscored 28-4 to end the half.
Turnovers were a problem for the Minutewomen, ending the half with 14, compared to Fordham’s two. The Rams scored 19 points off UMass mistakes including six fast-break points. UMass finished the half with 6-for-17 shooting while Fordham was 13-for-29 shooting. Jasmine Watson led the Minutewomen in the half with nine points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. For the Rams, Arielle Collins chipped in with six points and four helpers.
UMass struggled to close the deficit in the beginning of the second. The Rams continued throughout most of the period with a 15-point lead and even stretched it to 19 points with less than five minutes left. The Minutewomen did make a push but it was not enough as the game ended in a 61-52 loss. Watson had a double-double despite the losing effort.
Watson’s double-double wasn’t the only strength on the offensive end for the Minutewomen. Shakia Robinson and Cerie Mosgrove combined for 26 points in the losing effort. Additionally, the duo each had seven rebounds to compliment their scoring.
This top scoring by the Minutewomen was displayed in their 3-point shooting. After a dismal 1-for-5 start in the first half, UMass went 5-for-11 in the second half to up its shooting percentage.
Other than scoring, the Minutewomen added some swift passing to their repertoire with freshman Kelly Robinson dishing out six assists to the Maroon and White.
While the Rams took over sole possession of 10th place in the conference standing, UMass remained tied with GW (8-18, 3-9 A-10) as it dropped its game to top-ranked Xavier, 67-41. UMass ends its regular season against La Salle on Saturday at the Mullins Center. Action tips off at 2 p.m.
Michael Counos can be reached at [email protected].
