Box Score BOSTON, Mass. -- Junior Charles Mitchell (Boston, Mass.) scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead five players in double figures, as UMass Boston posted a 76-66 Little East Conference men's basketball victory over UMass Dartmouth Wednesday evening at the Clark Athletic Center.
The host Beacons (15-9, 9-6 LEC) turned an early three point deficit into a 14-point first half lead (30-16) with a 20-3 run over a six-and-a-half minute stretch capped by senior Dasan Cinelli's (Boston, Mass.) lay-in, but the visiting Corsairs (14-10, 9-6 LEC) battled back to whittle that margin down to five (33-28) at the break on sophomore Sean Leahy's (Hanson, Mass.) in the final 66 seconds. After sophomore Marcus Azor's (Brockton, Mass.) lay-up on the opening possession after intermission closed UMass Dartmouth's deficit to three, the two teams traded runs before the visitors crept back to within a bucket for the final time (41-39) on Azor's three-pointer with 14:39 to play in the contest.
Mitchell accounted for eight of UMass Boston's points during a decisive 10-0 run midway through the second half that extended the hosts' edge to 14 (58-44) with 9:08 remaining, and after the Corsairs closed back to four (68-64) on sophomore Matt Valles' (Fairhaven, Mass.) lay-in with 2:42 to play, three Cinelli free throws and a pair of lay-ups by senior Mark Munroe (Quincy, Mass.) iced the Beacons' triumph and forged a tie between the two squads for second place in the conference standings.
Junior Michael Boyd (Malden, Mass.) added 16 points, eight assists and five rebounds in the win for UMass Boston, which received 15 points and seven caroms from Cinelli along with a double-double effort of 14 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks from sophomore Malik Lorquet (Sharon, Mass.). Munroe finished with 10 points and six boards for the Beacons, who shot 45 percent (25-67) from the field and held an 18-6 scoring advantage at the foul line on the evening. The hosts also held a 46-42 edge on the glass and overcame 17 turnovers to gain a split of the regular season series between the two teams.
Valles scored a career-high 16 points and grabbed six rebounds in the setback for UMass Dartmouth, which received 14 points, seven boards and four assists from Azor along with 13 points off the bench from sophomore Dhalyn Sanders-Dyer (Worcester, Mass.). Sophomore Adam Seablom (Lakeville, Mass.) chipped in with nine points and four caroms for the Corsairs, who shot 33 percent (27-82) from the floor and connected for six three-pointers in the contest.
UMass Dartmouth hosts Southern Maine in its Little East Conference regular season finale on Saturday afternoon at the Tripp Athletic Center that tips-off at 3:00 pm, while UMass Boston heads to Plymouth, N.H. on Saturday afternoon to square off with Plymouth State in a Little East matchup that also tips-off at 3:00 pm.
