The UMASS team I saw last week is a completely different squad from the one that played against Western Connecticut this week. The girls really showed up and showed out. After being down by 14 points going into the second quarter, they managed to finish with a 24-point lead over Western Connecticut.
UMASS Boston took control by attacking the basket and getting to the foul line for three-point plays.
Now, don’t get me wrong Western Connecticut had some serious shooters and was hitting a lot of threes. #14, Alyssa Virtue dropped 7 points, 7 rebounds and 1 assist.
I found out that my friend’s Coach Viega’s daughter plays for UMASS Boston, and Ron’s daughter, #4, plays for Western Connecticut. Needless to say, I was even more invested in the action! At first, I wanted a different view of the game, so I sat in the bleachers for most of the first quarter. Eventually, I couldn’t resist and moved back down to the floor to feel the action while taking shots.
Coach Viega’s daughter, #23, Tajeiha Madison is a freshman and ended with 7 points, playing time total of 22 minutes. For quite a while, she was sitting on the bench, and I couldn’t help but wonder if they were resting her (and #5). In the previous game, both were playing great offense and solid defense, so I thought maybe something was up.
Before I knew it, both were back on the court, and just like that, the whole dynamic of the game changed. The ball movement was sharper, the defense more intense, and UMASS really started to roll. #4, Malaysia Dingle, another Brockton native got 3 points – 1 rebound and 1 assist.
By the end of the third quarter, the score was tied 38-38, and you could hear both sides of the stands cheering for #23 and #4.I brought my friend along, and they kept saying, “They’re not coming back from this. UMASS were down by 14 (Just FYI, I always root for the home team) ” but I always say, “You never know,” and sure enough, UMASS proved me right.
The more pressure UMASS put on Western Connecticut, the more turnovers the team made.
Sure enough the score ended 60-44.
