Leahy Nets Career High in Senior Day Victory Over RIC

DARTMOUTH, Mass. – It was a victorious senior night as the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth men's basketball team escaped with a 76-72 win over Rhode Island College Wednesday night at the Tripp Athletic Center.
 
Prior to the game, the Corsairs (21-3, 13-2 LEC) honored their five seniors: Jake Ashworth, Marcus Azor, Jarron Santos, Adam Seablom and Sean Leahy. UMass Dartmouth caps off the regular season with a perfect 13-0 record at home, the first time it has been done since the 2000-01 season, as they prepare to host each round of the Little East Tournament.
 
Leahy notched a career-high 22 points with five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Ashworth drained five 3-pointers to finish with 19 points and five boards, while Azor filled the stat sheet with 17 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, three steals and two blocks.
 
It was a two-man show by the top-two scorers in the LEC for the Anchormen (13-11, 6-9 LEC). Junior Shion Darby poured in 30 points, while senior Keyshaun Jacobs finished with 29 to account for 59 of RIC's 72 points.
 
The Corsairs looked poised to sail away from the Anchormen early. UMassD jumped ahead to an 11-4 lead after buckets by senior Adam Seablom, Leahy, a three from Ashworth and a pair of layups by junior Jackson Zancan. Darby and Jacobs then combined to score every point of a 16-9 run, to cut the RIC deficit to 22-20 at the 11:07 mark of the first.
 
Ashworth began to feel it from beyond the arc and drilled three triples, complimenting fastbreak layups from Azor and Seablom to extend the lead to 42-30 at the half.
 
It was a more physical game in the second half as the Anchormen got back into it with a 13-3 run to make it a 45-43 game with 17:21 to go. A layup and pair of free throws by Leahy put the Corsairs up six, but RIC stayed with UMassD for the remainder of the game.
 
A jumper by Jacobs brought the score to 49-48 at 13:37, a breakaway dunk and shot from sophomore Damian Tucker kept it a one-point game, 52-53 at 9:27, and a three by Jacobs made it a 61-60 game at 6:44.
 
Azor and Ashworth combined for an 8-2 Corsair run to push the lead to 69-62 with 4:15 remaining. Leahy and sophomore Mike Eurquhart hit key baskets to maintain the advantage until Darby and Jacobs scored six-straight points to make it 74-72 with 1:22 to go. A clutch steal and free throw by Leahy in the final seconds sealed the victory for the Corsairs.
 
UMass Dartmouth travels to Castleton for its final regular season game of the season at 3 p.m. on Saturday.