Box Score PLYMOUTH, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth men's basketball team used an 11-3 run to erase a late seven-point, second half deficit to open Little East Conference action with a 78-75 victory over Plymouth State University this evening at Foley Gymnasium.
Trailing by seven points with less than three and a half minutes remaining in regulation, senior guard Josh Castillo (Lynn, Mass.) drained a triple to spark the surge. The Panthers (3-4, 0-1 LEC) converted the front end of a 1-and-1, but Castillo trimmed the deficit to one possession (70-67) with a lay-up. Following a pair of misses from the charity stripe, junior Wale Abraham (Lynn, Mass.) scored off an offensive rebound to cut the disadvantage to one with 82 seconds left on the clock. The Corsairs (5-4, 1-0 LEC) forced a turnover on the ensuing possession and junior guard Jordan Rezendes (Onset, Mass.) capitalized with a jumper to cap the run and give the visitors their first lead since midway through the second stanza.
Plymouth State regained its advantage on the next trip down the court, but Rezendes knocked down a triple to put UMass Dartmouth in front for good. The Corsairs' salted away the victory from the foul line, including a pair of makes by sophomore Jon Robinson (Chatham, Mass.) with one second left on the clock to provide the final margin.
For the second straight contest, four UMass Dartmouth starters reached double digits in scoring. Rezendes led the charge with 26 points, on 8-for-18 from the floor, and four assists, while freshman Cody Borges (Dartmouth, Mass.) scored a season-high 14 points. Castillo and Abraham rounded out the Corsair contingent in double digits with 11 and 10, respectively. Abraham grabbed a team-high seven boards and redirected a pair of shots.
Senior Alex Burt (Dover, N.H.) powered the Panthers with a game-high 28 points, on 12-for-17 from the field, while sophomore Curtis Arsenault (Berlin, N.H.) also reached double digits with 17 points, including 8-for-8 from the foul line. Junior Uche Nwokeji (Lynn, Mass.) pulled in a game-high eight boards, while sophomore Nathan Clarke (Reading, Mass.) handed out seven helpers.
Plymouth State charged out of the gates, scoring 12 of the opening 16 points. Arsenault started the scoring with a three-pointer, while Burt followed suit nearly four minutes later with a triple of his own to give the hosts' an early 6-0 lead. Resendes finally put the visitors on the scoreboard with a jumper at 15:04. Senior Michael Elliott-Baltimore (North Lauderdale, Fla.) scored consecutive baskets before Abraham stemmed the tide with a lay-up. Arsenault capped the opening run with a pair from the foul line to give the hosts' their largest lead of the half.
UMass Dartmouth was able to whittle its deficit to two points, 33-31, with two minutes, 13 seconds left on the clock, but the Panthers scored the final six points of the frame to take a 39-31 advantage into the locker room.
The Corsairs registered the first basket of the second half, but Burt drained a trifecta to hand Plymouth State its largest lead of the game (9 pts.). The visitors responded with a 10-0 run to take their first advantage of the contest. Rezendes fueled the surge with four points, while senior John Genkos (Worcester, Mass.) completed the run with a three-pointer.
Neither team led by more than two possessions until the final four minutes of regulation, when UMass Dartmouth was able to overcome its seven-point deficit.
The Corsairs shot 45.8 percent (27-for-59) from the floor, including 47.6 percent (10-for-21) from behind the three-point arc. The Panthers made 47.5 percent (28-for-59) of their attempts, but struggled from the long range (36.8%) and the foul line (70.6 %).
UMass Dartmouth (5-4) will return to action at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 30, when the Corsairs face Messiah College (Pa.) in the first round of the Adidas Holiday Slam in Miami, Fla. UMass Dartmouth will also be in action the following afternoon, when the Corsairs square off against No. 25 Marietta College (Ohio) in the tournament finale.
