UMass Dartmouth Survives Late Rally at Westfield State to Remain Unbeaten

WESTFIELD, Mass. - Westfield State rallied from 17-points down to cut its deficit to 82-81 with under a minute remaining, but clutch defensive stops and a trio of free throws gave the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth men's basketball team an 85-81 victory to remain perfect and hand the Owls their first loss of the season.

Senior Marcus Azor had another stellar performance for the Corsairs (6-0), finishing with 23 points, 12 rebounds, six assists five blocks and two steals. Senior Jake Ashworth also had 23 points and was 12-of-14 from the charity stripe, while junior Jackson Zancan finished with 16 points, knocking down a pair of triples, and senior Adam Seablom notched nine points and six boards. 

Four players scored in double figures for the Owls (5-1), led by senior Justin Rennis with 17 points and seven rebounds. Junior Brendon Hamilton pulled down 18 boards for Westfield.

The Corsairs carried their momentum from last game straight into the gym as 3-pointers by Zancan and Ashworth jolted a 19-6 lead at the 14:20 mark. Azor and senior Dalyn Sanders-Dyer continued to pile up the lead with paint points to extend the advantage to 12. Westfield then went on a 14-6 run to close the gap to 29-26 with 6:31 left in the half.

Five consecutive points from Azor and a 3-ball by Ashworth sparked a 14-7 run to close the half and put the Corsairs ahead, 43-35, as the teams headed to the locker rooms.

UMass Dartmouth dominated the first six-plus minutes of the second half. Ashworth put together the first 10 points for the Corsairs to bring the advantage to 54-39 with 16:58 remaining. Senior Sean Leahy drilled a 3-ball, and Zancan scored in the paint to make it a 17-point lead, 63-46, with 14:21 to go.

That is when Westfield roared back into the game. Five consecutive points from Rennis jumpstarted an 18-3 run to close the gap to 72-69 with 5:04 to go. Zancan, Seablom and Ashworth brought the Corsair lead back to nine points, but the Owls would not go quietly, as back-to-back triples made it 82-81 with a minute left. Defense came through with a block by Zancan and two forced turnovers to maintain the lead and secure the victory.

UMass Dartmouth stays on the road for a meeting with No. 25 Brandeis at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.