WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYS TOUGH AT UMASS BOSTON, BUT FALLS 77-68, Nicole Casimiro nets season high 18

The Mount Ida College Women’s Basketball team traveled to the University of Massachusetts at Boston this Tuesday taking a 77- 68 loss home in a tough back and forth battle. The Mustangs drop their record to 2-7 on the year while the Beacons improve to 4-4.

The teams were tied at 12-12 with 12:25 to go in the first half, before the Mustangs reeled off seven straight points to take a 19-12 lead with 9:48 left until the break. Mount Ida stayed ahead 25-19 but the Beacons put together a 15-2 run to take a 34-27 advantage with 1:53 remaining in the first session. UMB owned a 36-32 lead going into the intermission.

Sophomore forward Cherie Parisi (South Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) made a lay-up 27 seconds into the second stanza to pull the Mustangs to within a deuce, 36-34, but that would be as close as they would get for the rest of the night as UMass Boston netted the next six points to take a 42-34 lead with 16:46 on the second half clock.

Freshman guard Brieanna Holiday (Dummerston, VT/Lamoille Union) later canned a three-pointer for Mount Ida to cut the deficit to 44-41 with 14:18 to go in the second set, but the Beacons responded with eight straight points to increase their lead to 52-41. Mount Ida chipped away for the remainder of the game, but got no closer than seven points.

Sophomore guard Nicole Casimiro (Lee, NH/Oyster River) netted a game and season high 18 points including four a piece in rebounds and steals. Holiday enjoyed another good outing with 10 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists, nearly missing a triple-double. Parisi also lit it up for another impressive performance tallying her fourth double-double of the season with 17 points and 13 boards.

Mount Ida will go to the break and pick back up in 2008 competing in the Regis College tournament on January 5 at 2:30 p.m.