DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Powered by a 16-point nights from senior
Isaac Percy and a stifling team defensive effort, the UMass Dartmouth men's basketball team overwhelmed Rhode Island College, 75-64, in Little East action on Wednesday at the Tripp Athletic Center. The win saw the Corsairs improve to 11-9 overall and 8-3 in the LEC. Meanwhile, the Anchormen are now 13-8 overall with a 6-6 mark in conference play.
The Corsairs held a 30-25 lead after the opening half of play, with sophomore
Nic Boyd leading the way with eight first-half points. Rhode Island College led for the first ten minutes of the contest before a Boyd three-pointer evened out the score at the 10:27 mark. The Corsairs caused 15 total turnovers through the game, with 10 of those coming in the first half of action.
UMass Dartmouth began the second half with an 8-to-2 run that stretched their lead to 11 points, 2:45 into the half. RIC began clawing their way back early in the second half, going on a 10-0 run of their own to bring the game back within one with 15:22 on the clock.
Rhode Island College trailed by two points when senior Ousmane Kourouma finished an and-1, followed by another layup on the next possession to give RIC its first lead of the half. With slightly over 11 minutes to go, sophomore
Ryan Flauto came in off the bench and took over. The Corsairs continued to find Flauto inside the key, where he scored eight points in just a two-minute span. Flauto's takeover along with a timely and-1 from Percy put the Corsairs back up by seven with 7:23 to go.
UMass Dartmouth was able to hold onto a comfortable lead thanks to efficient free throw shooting as a team. Percy, fifth year senior
Jackson Zancan, senior
Michael Eurquhart Jr. and sophomore
Josh Lopes all went 2-for-2 on their respective free throws in the closing minutes, helping lift the Corsairs to a 75-64 win, completing the season sweep over the Anchormen.
UMass Dartmouth out-paced the Warriors in multiple categories; 2
nd Chance Points (12-10), Bench Scoring (30-10), Points in the Paint (42-36), and Fast Break Points (12-4). The Anchormen outscored the Corsairs in Points off Turnovers, 14-12. UMass Dartmouth recorded nine steals and forced 15 turnovers.
Rhode Island College, paced throughout by Kourouma, saw the senior forward put up a game-high 17 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, shooting 6 for 9 from the field. Two other players scored in double figures for the Anchormen in sophomore Isaiah Dahl and junior Deyshawn Tengbeh.
The Corsairs were paced by Percy's 16 points and five boards, going 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Flauto followed him up with a career-high 12 points, going 5-for-6 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Boyd sank three of the Corsairs' four total three-pointers, tallying 11 points. Eurquhart Jr. had a big game aswell, recording 12 rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots in addition to his eight points.
The Corsairs hit the road again on Saturday, traveling to VTSU Castleton for a 2:00pm LEC bout against the Spartans.
