Box Score DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth men's basketball team utilized a well-balanced scoring attack, as all five starters reached double figures in scoring to lead the Corsairs to an 85-75 Little East men's basketball victory over intrastate rival University of Massachusetts Boston this evening at the Tripp Athletic Center.
The Corsairs snapped their two-game losing streak to even their overall record at 8-8, while the Beacons slipped to 9-7.
Senior Jake Laga (Northampton, Mass.) led UMass Dartmouth with 21 points, on 7-for-12 from the field. Classmate John Genkos (Worcester, Mass.) produced 16 points, including 4-for-9 from downtown, and seven assists. Junior Wale Abraham (Lynn, Mass.) notched a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while redirecting five shots. Sophomore Jon Robinson (Chatham, Mass.) registered 16 points in his first start of the season, while freshman Cody Borges (Dartmouth, Mass.) scored 14 points and pulled in six boards.
Junior Omar Benabicha (Saugus, Mass.) carried the visitors' offensive attack with 27 points, including 5-for-7 from behind the three-point arc. Sophomore Kevin Louis-Jean (Hyde Park, Mass.) joined Benabicha in double-digits with 12 points. Senior Carl Joseph (Brockton, Mass.) hauled in a team-high seven rebounds and scored nine points.
UMass Dartmouth rode Laga's hot hand for nine consecutive Corsair points to jump out to a 16-7 lead less than six minutes into the contest. The hosts continued their momentum with a 10-2 surge, capped by back-to-back triples by Borges and senior Josh Castillo (Lynn, Mass.) to seize their largest lead of the evening at 26-9.
The Beacons were able to flip the script on UMass Dartmouth, countering with a 23-9 run over the subsequent six minutes, 50 seconds to whittle their deficit to 35-32. Benabicha lead the surge with seven points, while Louis-Jean added six.
The Corsairs regained control of the contest with an 8-0 run, split evenly between Robinson and Abraham. Benabicha knocked down a three-pointer in the final seconds to send the visitors into the intermission with a 43-35 deficit.
UMass Dartmouth extended its lead to double-digits again, 50-40, less than four minutes into the second stanza. Borges delivered a triple and Robinson added a fast-break lay-up to cap the mini 5-0 surge.
Trailing 59-53 midway through the half, UMass Boston strung together an 8-0 run to take its first and only lead of the second stanza. Junior Karl Agenor (Dorchester, Mass.) converted a traditional three-point play and one of two from the line on the ensuing possession to knot the contest at 59-all. Benebicha capped the surge with the go-ahead jumper with six minutes, 33 seconds left on the clock.
The Beacons lead lasted only 12 seconds, as Genkos buried a three-pointer from the corner to regain the hosts' advantage. UMass Boston was able to cut its deficit to one point, 67-66, with 4:12 to play, but UMass Dartmouth used a 7-2 run over the next three minutes to build back an eight-point cushion. Laga sealed the victory with a one-handed runner in the paint. The Corsairs scored their final nine points from the charity stripe to close out their fourth conference win of the season.
UMass Dartmouth shot 49.2 percent (29-for-59) from the field, including 42.9 percent (9-for-21) from long range. The Beacons converted 42.4 percent (28-for-66) of their attempts. UMass Boston held the edge on the glass, 37-36.
UMass Dartmouth will return to action at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24, when the Corsairs host Little East Conference foe Plymouth State University.
