PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Junior
Marcus Azor (Brockton, Mass.) scored a career-high 28 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished off three assists, as UMass Dartmouth remained perfect on the young season with a 77-70 Little East Conference men's basketball victory over Rhode Island College Wednesday evening at The Murray Center.
The host Corsairs (4-0, 4-0 LEC) recorded their second win over the host Anchormen (1-3, 1-3 LEC) in five days, as UMass Dartmouth overcame a one-point (35-34) halftime deficit by scoring nine of the first 12 points after intermission to grab a 43-38 lead on Azor's three-pointer with 17:17 remaining. Rhode Island College closed that gap back to three point in less than two minutes before the visitors took control of the contest with an 8-2 run, as senior
Jake Ashworth's (Fairhaven, Mass.) conventional three-point play enabled the Corsairs to take a nine-point cushion (52-43) with 13:48 to play.
Sophomore
Shion Darby (Peekskill, N.Y.) and freshman
Jordan Riley (Windsor, Conn.) combined for five unanswered points in a 17 second span that allowed the hosts to close back to within three (53-50) with just under 12 minutes remaining, but UMass Dartmouth built back a trio of nine point leads before taking its largest advantage of the contest (77-66) on Azor's fast break finish with 96 seconds to play, as the hosts got no closer than six points in the closing minutes of action.
Azor connected on an 11-25 clip from the field in the win for the visitors, who received 14 points and eight rebounds from Ashworth along with 10 points, six boards and four assists from junior
Adam Seablom (Lakeville, Mass.). Sophomore
Jackson Zancan (Cumberland, R.I.) chipped in with seven points and six caroms for the Corsairs, who received six points and six rebounds from junior
Sean Leahy (Hanson, Mass.). UMass Dartmouth shot 40 percent (30-75) from the field overall and held a 60-45 rebounding advantage on the evening, as the visitors scored 48 points in the paint in following up their 85-72 win when the two teams met last Saturday afternoon at the Tripp Athletic Center.
Darby scored 22 points and grabbed six rebounds in the setback for Rhode Island College, which received 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists from freshman
Dante Law (Taunton, Mass.) along with 13 points and four steals from Riley. Freshman
Jared White (North Plainfield, N.J.) added 10 points and five boards for the Anchormen, who received eight points and a career-high 14 caroms from freshman
Ousmane Kourouma (Woonsocket, R.I.). The hosts shot 34 percent (27-79) from the floor and converted 16 Corsair turnovers into 26 points.
UMass Dartmouth hosts Keene State in a Little East Conference outing on Saturday afternoon at the Tripp Athletic Center that tips-off at 12:30 pm, while Rhode Island College entertains Plymouth State in a Little East clash on Saturday afternoon at The Murray Center that tips-off at 3:00 pm.
