Jan. 13, 2010

Box Score

ST. LOUIS - Katie Paganelli scored 17 points, including a 3-pointer in the waning seconds to send the game into overtime, but Massachusetts emerged with a 62-59 Atlantic 10 Conference victory over Saint Louis Wednesday night at Chaifetz Arena.

Paganelli, whose point total included four treys, added four assists. Lauren Woods was 9-of-10 from the free-throw line and tallied 13 points, five rebounds and a career-high seven assists. Amanda Kemezys collected eight rebounds, Janisha Gearlds had six assists and Jacy Bradley registered four steals for the Billikens (6-11, 0-2 A-10).

Massachusetts (7-10, 1-1 A-10) got game highs of 26 points (also a career high) and 10 rebounds from Diatiema Hill, who also notched five assists and four steals. Jasmine Watson scored a career-high 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. Cerie Mosgrove and Stephanie Lawrence secured seven and six rebounds, respectively, as the Minutewomen earned a 45-31 advantage on the glass.

The Minutewomen came in averaging a league-best 6.2 treys but were held to just three (3-of-15) by the Billiken defense. However, UMass improved on its conference-leading 76-percent clip from the foul line by shooting 86.4 percent (19-of-22), while SLU was 12-of-15 from the stripe.

UMass assembled a 13-4 run at the outset of the second half to take a 35-25 lead, then led 37-27 with 13:32 to play. Bradley buried a pair of 3-pointers and Kemezys made a layup to slice the lead to 39-35 at the 10:49 mark.

The margin remained in the four- to six-point range until Watson sank two free throws to put UMass on top 49-42 with 7:12 left. Woods netted two free throws and made a steal that led to a Gearlds layup to narrow the gap to 49-46, but the Bills missed a chance to pull closer. Two Lawrence free throws and a Nicole Jones layup restored a seven-point UMass lead, 53-46, with 3:32 to play.

On SLU's next possession, Woods was fouled and swished two free throws after corralling her own miss. Later, Paganelli turned a Kemezys steal into a conventional 3-point play, and the Bills trailed 53-51 at the 1:30 mark.

After Jones and Woods exchanged successful two-shot free-throw opportunities, the Billikens drew a charge on Hill. Saint Louis couldn't capitalize, however, and Lawrence was fouled after securing a rebound. She left the door open for the Billikens by making just one of two from the line. Paganelli came around a screen, caught the ball near the top of the key and nailed a trifecta with less than three seconds left that sent the contest into the extra session knotted at 56.

Jones made two early free throws in overtime to put UMass back on top, and Woods pulled SLU even with a jumper. Both teams had two empty possessions before Hill's 3-pointer from the left corner gave UMass the lead for good, 61-58, with 2:30 left. Woods sank one free throw to make it 61-59 with 48 seconds left, and Saint Louis made a defensive stop, but the Billikens misfired on the offensive end as time was winding down. Hill missed the back end of a two-shot foul after making the front end, but UMass secured the rebound and the victory.

Neither team led by more than four points in the first half. UMass owned a 21-18 advantage late in the half, but buckets by Woods and Kemezys gave the Billikens a 22-21 edge at intermission.

The Billikens host A-10 co-leader Rhode Island Friday. Game time at Chaifetz Arena is 7 p.m.