WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Opening Little East Conference play at Geissler Gymnasium, Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball looked to get back into the win column against UMass Boston on Saturday. In the first matchup since the 2019-2020 season between the two squads, the Warriors (4-4, 1-0 LEC) recovered from a slow start to earn their first win of LEC play this season behind senior forward Anna Barry's (Andover) double-double and the 5^th double-digit scoring game by the senior guard duo of Jenna Serrantino (Cromwell) and Julie Keckler (Trumbull) to push past the Beacons (1-6, 0-1 LEC), 65-53.
 
UMass Boston would draw first blood with a three-pointer from first-year guard Cathryn Sullivan before Eastern came alive with Barry and Serrantino leading the team on a 6-0 run over the course of two minutes to take a 6-3 lead. The relentless defense of the Beacons would force the Warriors to commit six turnovers in the opening frame however it would only result in two points for the visitors. Meanwhile, Eastern would cash in on nine turnovers by UMass Boston through the opening 10 minutes to manufacture six points, but 5-of-13 shooting (38.4%) found the Warriors trailing for only the third time this season after one quarter. Junior guard Martha Chatman (Meriden) recorded four points, one rebound, and one block coming off the bench to help pace Eastern. Coming into the game, the Warriors were 0-3 this season when tied or trailing after one quarter and 3-1 when leading.
 
After falling behind by four to start the second, Eastern would come alive as back-to-back jumpers by Serrantino helped bring the Warriors even with the Beacons. Leading the way for UMass Boston with their next six points, senior guard Meg Dixon helped keep her team in front before sophomore guard Sunny Green's three gave the Beacons their last lead of the game. The final five minutes of the second quarter would be dominated by Eastern as they closed out the half on a 12-2 run to go ahead by seven. Leading the way for the Warriors on the run was Barry and Serrantino as the pair accounted for seven and five points respectively as Eastern took a 32-25 lead heading into the break.
 
Barry and Serrantino both recorded 11 points on a combined 8-for-15 shooting from the field, 1-for-3 shooting from three, and 5-for-7 from the charity stripe while combining for seven of Eastern's 17 first half rebounds.
 
Following a 1-for-6 shooting performance in nine first half minutes and missing her first five shots of the second half, Little East Conference Player of the Week and the Warrior's leading scorer Julie Keckler (Trumbull) came alive for Eastern when it mattered most in the second half. The senior guard accounted for nine of her team's 16 third quarter points as the Warrior defense held UMass Boston to eight points and took a 15-point lead heading into the final quarter. After her 1-for-11 start, Keckler (19.1 PPG) would finish with 19 points and five rebounds on 7-for-20 shooting, making six of her last nine shots from the floor.
 
Eastern would maintain their lead over the Beacons over the final 10 minutes as both teams combined for 37 total points (20-17 UMB), the most combined points in a quarter for the two teams, to take the 65-53 victory. The 20-point fourth quarter by UMass Boston was the fifth time this year they scored more than 20 in a quarter.
 
Leading the charge for the Beacons was Meg Dixon who earned her second double-double of the season with 25 points (8-of-16 shooting) and 10 rebounds. Dixon accounted for 16 of UMass Boston's 28 second half points while having a stretch through the middle of the third until the end of the fourth in which she hit six consecutive shots to finish 6-for-10 from the field and 3-for-5 from three in 17 minutes played.
 
Anna Barry earned her first double-double of the season as the senior guard finished the game with 17 points (7-of-11 shooting) and 10 rebounds while Jenna Serrantino returned from her one-game absence due to illness falling just shy of a double-double as the senior guard recorded 13 points and nine rebounds in 33 minutes played. With Serrantino and Keckler both recording double-digit point totals, Eastern moves to 3-2 on the season when the guard duo records double-digit points in the game.
 
The Warriors finish off their four-game homestand with a Little East Conference matchup against UMass Dartmouth on Wednesday, December 8^th in Geissler Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 PM. Eastern has won their last three matchups against the Corsairs after dropping their previous five. The three-game winning streak began in the 2018-2019 Little East Conference Championship Game as the Warriors came away with the 77-72 win in overtime on the road to earn a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Their latest matchups were during the 2019-2020 season in which Eastern swept the home and home series with double-digit victories.