Box Score BOSTON – The Corsairs exploded out to a 17-0 run early in the first half on Wednesday, as four UMass Dartmouth men's basketball players reached double-figures in an 82-56 rout at UMass Boston.
Every UMass Dartmouth player to suit up on the evening earned minutes, as the Corsairs (14-10, 7-6 LEC) went 16-of-34 (47 percent) in the first 20 minutes of play to build an insurmountable lead over the Beacons. Senior Jordan Rezendes (Onset, Mass.) led all scorers with 19 points on the night, adding six assists. Posting his 10th double-double on the season was freshman Nick Portelance (Fairhaven, Mass.) with 13 points and 12 boards.
Junior Jon Robinson (Chatham, Mass.) converted on 3-of-4 long range chances on the game as part of his 15-point, six-assist effort, while classmate Abi Akanni (Fitchburg, Mass.) posted 11 points.
The Beacons (6-17, 2-11 LEC) were led by junior Dan Powers' (Westwood, Mass.) 15 points. Freshman Maurice Magras (Medford, Mass.) added 10 points and sophomore Iser Barnes (Boston, Mass.) contributed seven points and seven rebounds.
UMass Boston was able to tie the score twice within the first minute of play, but the Corsairs overwhelmed the hosts quickly and efficiently. A layup from Rezendes at 16:52 kicked off a UMass Dartmouth offensive onslaught lasting nearly five minutes, as the visitors went on a 17-0 run. Using free throws and Rezendes buckets from all over the floor, the Corsairs built the lead to 21-4 before a Powers layup stopped the bleeding.
A conventional 3-point play from Akanni followed immediately by a Portelance layup on the next possession put the UMass Dartmouth lead at 24. Beacon Selim Omerovic (Saugus, Mass.) nailed a 3-pointer and Magras made two foul shots to cut the Corsair lead to 19, but the Corsairs just continued to turn up the heat, embarking on a 14-4 run to close the half.
UMass Dartmouth entered the break with a comfortable 48-19 lead after posting 20 points in the paint over the first half. The Beacons shot a mere 6-of-28 (21 percent) over the first 20 minutes while surrendering 10 turnovers.
In the second half, the Beacons came to life offensively, outscoring the Corsairs 37-34 over the stanza on 15-of-40 (37 percent) shooting. After back-to-back Rezendes and Robinson 3-pointers put the visitors up 43, UMass Boston went on a 10-0 stretch bookended by Powers.
In the final six minutes, the Beacon reserves turned up the production even further with a quick-paced 16-2 run of their own. Despite UMass Boston turning the tides and pulling the game within 25 points, the Corsairs' first-half performance stayed intact to earn an LEC win.
UMass Dartmouth closes the regular season on Saturday, hosting Southern Maine at 3 p.m. as Rezendes will be honored as the lone Corsair senior. The Corsairs hope to secure the fourth seed and quarterfinal hosting duties for the Little East Conference tournament.
