PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Powered by a 20-point game from senior
Isaac Percy, along with a defensive effort that recorded 14 total steals and forced 23 turnovers, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth men's basketball team defeated Rhode Island College, 82-73, in their first Little East Conference matchup of the season. The Corsairs are red hot, claiming their fifth straight to improve to 6-5 overall after a 1-5 start to their season. They remain perfect in conference play at 3-0, while the Anchorman suffer their first conference loss, dropping to 3-1 in LEC play and 10-3 overall.
It was UMass Dartmouth who claimed an early lead at the 12:57 mark in the first half, when grad student
Jackson Zancan nailed his first three of the night to put the Corsairs up 12-8. With 8:39 to go in the half, junior Deyshawn Tengbeh layup kicked off an 11-0 run for the Anchormen that put them up by five.
The Corsairs immediately responded with an 11-2 run of their own, reclaiming a 30-26 lead with 3:03 to go in the first half. UMD sophomore
John Marcille got hot during that stretch, converting two free throws, a layup and a three-pointer for seven quick points. The two squads traded buckets in the closing minutes of the half, and after two free throws from RIC senior KJ Uga hit two free throws to put the Anchormen on top, 37-36, at the half.
After falling behind to a 5-0 deficit early on, trsairs 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.
UMass Dartmouth began the second half with hot hands from three-point range, with Zancan, Percy and senior
Jayquan Leonard sinking long balls on consecutive possessions. The streak from deep gave the Corsairs an eight-point lead with 18:24 on the clock. UMass Dartmouth took their largest lead of the game of nine points on a layup from senior
Michael Eurquhart Jr. at the 16:15 mark in the second half.
The Anchormen responded with an 8-0 run over two minutes, closing the distance down to one point. Rhode Island College retook the lead for the first time since the beginning of the half, before Percy got hot for UMD. While leading by one with 5:54 to go, Percy began an eight-point spree, featuring two three-balls and a long two-point jumper that gave the Corsairs a semi-comfortable, 70-61 lead with 3:26 remaining.
Percy hit another two free throws with 2:38 on the clock, before Zancan hit a dagger three to put the Corsairs up by 11 with 1:43 left. Leonard and Zancan combined to go 6 for 6 from the free throw line in the final minute, as UMass Dartmouth took a huge conference win over the Anchormen, 82-73 in Providence.
Leading the way for UMass Dartmouth was Percy with 20 points and four rebounds while going 4 for 11 from deep. Zancan sunk 3 of his 4 threes and 5 of 6 free throws for 14 points. Leonard had a fantastic night all-around with 11 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals. Eurquhart Jr. grabbed eight rebounds to go along with 11 points and three blocked shots. Marcille tallied 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. The Corsairs capitalized on 23 RIC giveaways, scoring 28 points off of turnovers.
For the Anchormen, senior Ousmane Kourouma and sophomore Isiah Dahl led the way with 16 points each. Kourouma also hauled in 18 rebounds for a double-double. Tengbeh also recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
UMass Dartmouth returns home to host VTSU Castleton on Saturday, January 6
th. The Little East battle is scheduled for 3:00PM at the Tripp Athletic Center.
