WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Powered by a late defensive stand, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth men's basketball team defeated Eastern Connecticut, 83-78, in their first Little East Conference matchup of the season. The Corsairs improved to 2-5 and begin their conference schedule 1-0. The Warriors dip to 1-8 and suffer their second conference loss, bringing them to 0-2 in the LEC.
After falling behind to a 5-0 deficit early on, the Corsairs went on a run headed by senior
Isaac Percy and grad student
Jackson Zancan. A three ball from sophomore
Nic Boyd followed by a Percy layup at the 10 minute mark of the first half gave UMass Dartmouth a double digit lead. The Corsairs extended their lead to as far as 17 after another Zancan layup with 2:07 remaining in the first half. ECSU sophomores Julian Sanchez and Dominick Dao scored five points to close the half for the Warriors, as UMD went into the break leading 45-53.
Eastern Connecticut began their fight back into it right away in the second half. !;29 into the second half, an Eastern three ball from junior Dan Wellington cut the Corsairs' lead down to just five. UMD sophomore
Josh Lopes scored back to back layups to extend their lead back to double digits at the 16:16 mark. The Corsairs maintained a comfortable distance until around the 10 minute mark, when a pair of free throws from ECSU freshman Esco Greene cut their deficit down to just three.
The two teams traded buckets down the stretch, with the Corsairs clinging onto their lead they had held for the majority of the game thus far. It was a Wellington mid-range that evened the contest at 73-73 with 4:36 remaining for the Warriors. The defense ramped up in the closing minutes, with nearly two minutes of game time expiring without another score as the teams remained tied at 73-73 until the 2:59 mark. UMD senior
Michael Eurquhart Jr. made one of two free throws, before a dunk from Ty Calloway gave Eastern Connecticut its first lead since the 15:55 mark in the first half.
After evening it back up at 75-75 with one of two free throws, Lopes grabbed a defensive board and took it coast to coast to put the Corsairs back on top, 77-75 with 1:57 remaining. Eurquhart Jr. came up with a huge steal with :44 remaining that led to a Lopes layup, about sealing the game for UMass Dartmouth. A pair of free throws from senior
Jayquan Leonard put the game away, 83-78, in favor of the Corsairs.
Leading the way for UMass Dartmouth was Lopes with 23 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Zancan posted 19 points, eight rebounds and three steals of his own. Percy scored 16 on 6 of 10 from the floor and 3 of 4 from the free throw line. The Corsairs dominated the interior, outscoring Eastern 60-38 inside the paint.
For the Warriors, Calloway and sophomore Jalen Hamblin each finished with 16 points. Hamblin hauled in 12 rebounds and blocked three shots as well. Wellington and Dao each put up 14 points of their own for the Warriors.
UMass Dartmouth opens up their conference schedule with a win, and look to build on that on Saturday, when they host the Panthers from Plymouth State. Tipoff is set for 3:00pm in the Tripp Athletic Center.
