WILLIMANTIC, Conn. - Junior center Ashley McFetridge (Canton) had 21 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots and the second-seeded women's basketball team survived a late bid by seventh-seeded University of Massachusetts Boston to advance in the Little East Conference tournament with a 75-68 victory Tuesday night at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.

With its sixth straight victory, Eastern (22-4) advances to the tournament semifinals Friday at 6 p.m. against third-seeded Western Connecticut State University (20-5), which routed sixth-seeded Plymouth State University, 64-43, Tuesday at the O'Neill Center. Top-seeded University of Southern Maine (24-2) will host the tournament semifinals and final Friday and Saturday at the Warren Hill Gymnasium. The Huskies eliminated eighth-seeded Massachusetts Dartmouth, 79-31, Tuesday night.

In Friday's second semifinal at 8 p.m., Southern Maine faces fourth-seeded Keene State College (16-10), which advanced past fifth-seeded Rhode Island College Tuesday at Spaulding Gym. The tournament final is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m.

McFetridge, the LEC scoring leader, was sidelined with the flu when UMass Boston (8-18) defeated Eastern three weeks at the Clark Athletic Center by a score of 64-60. This time, she connected on eight of 19 field goals, was 5-for-7 from the foul line and led both team in scoring as the Warriors improved to 5-0 against UMass in LEC tournament play.

A loser of all 12 of its road games this year, UMass made a bid to wipe out a 20-point lead before the Warriors re-grouped to post their 14th home win in 15 outings. UMass scored 16 consecutive points in a span of three minutes to pull to within four points, 68-64, with 4:27 left. The Warriors missed three consecutive shots at that point, giving the ball back to the Beacons with a chance to pull even closer. However, Eastern senior forward Stephanie Smith (Penacook, NH) came up with the play of the game by stepping in to steal a pass under the basket, and junior guard Nicky Morey (Columbia)  fed McFetridge underneath to end Eastern's scoring drought. Morey and senior guard Sara Paradis (Bristol) later combined to sink three free throws to make it 73-66, with 35 seconds left.

Freshman forward Norma Cumbee sparked UMass's 16-point run with eight points, senior guard Myrna Tangar adding four. Cumbee completed a conventional three-point play in the run, and later connected on a three-pointer.

Ranked last in the LEC in free throw shooting, UMass was 17-for-21 from the stripe, but commited 21 turnovers, including 15 in the first half when the Warriors moved out to a 10-point lead late in the frame. Morey and McFetridge combined for 21 of Eastern's 37 second-half points, and keyed an eight-point streak when the Warriors built a 19-point, 56-38 lead with 12 minutes left.

Morey followed McFetridge with 16 points and handed out four assists, while senior forward Bridget Durette (Seymour) came off the bench to score 10 points and grab four rebounds  in 12 minutes.

Tangar, the LEC rebounding leader, pulled down 13 rebounds - nine in the second half to go along with eight points.  It gave her 33 rebounds in three games this year against Eastern. Cumbee led the Beacons with 20 points, and senior guard Ashley Greene kept the Beacons close in the first half by scoring 15 of her game total of 17 points. In the first half,Greene was 3-for-4 from three-point range and 4-for-4 from the foul line.