KEENE, N.H. – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth men's basketball team took control of first place in the Little East Conference (LEC) Monday night with a statement road win at Keene State, 76-60, behind a dominant defensive performance.
The Corsairs (15-2, 7-1 LEC) now control their own destiny atop the league standings. Senior
Marcus Azor matched his season high in scoring with 24 points and added eight rebounds, five steals and three assists. Senior
Adam Seablom was the only other Corsair in double figures with 13 points with six boards, while senior
Sean Leahy notched nine points, four rebounds and three steals. All nine players who saw action scored for UMassD.
UMass Dartmouth held the Owls (14-4, 9-2 LEC) 24 points below their season average and limited the home team to 39.1-percent shooting (27-69) and just 3-of-13 from long range (23.1%). Junior Jeff Hunter stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 16 boards and six blocks. The Corsairs pulled away in the final 10 minutes, closing the game on a 27-6 run.
UMass Dartmouth played from behind for the most of the first half. After an Azor jumper put the Corsairs on top, 11-9, at the 14:47 mark, Keene State used its home court advantage and went on a 6-0 run with each bucket in the paint to go up by four.
Sophomore
Isaac Percy and Azor then evened the score at 17, but the Owls went on a 14-6 run to make it a 31-23 KSC lead with 4:56 remaining in the half. Baskets by graduate student
Jake Ashworth, Azor and Seablom, finished off by a triple from Percy, cut it to a 35-34 deficit at the break.
Keene State held onto a slim lead for the first 10 minutes of the second and led 54-49 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game. That was when Azor got a steal and score that flipped the momentum completely on UMass Dartmouth's side.
A pair at the line from junior
John Martins Jr., an Azor jumper, A Leahy three, another Azor bucket, and a triple from junior
Jackson Zancan finished off a 14-0 run and the Corsairs were suddenly on top, 63-54, with 6:02 to go. The Corsairs continued to run away with it as Seablom put the nail in the coffin with an and-1 with under a minute to go to complete the 27-6 game-clinching run.
UMass Dartmouth returns to the court Wednesday night at UMass Boston for a 7 p.m. tip off.
