DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The UMass Dartmouth men's basketball team fell against Western Connecticut State University, 98-86, on Saturday afternoon during Little East Conference (LEC) action from the Tripp Athletic Center. The Corsairs move to 2-3 in conference play and 8-6 overall while the Wolves improved to a 4-2 LEC record with the win.
The Corsairs jumped out to a 9-4 lead early in the game thanks to a pair of triples from senior guard
Nic Boyd and sophomore guard
Danny Reyes. Shortly after, first year guard
Mahdee McNair posted his first three-point shot of the contest off the feed from Reyes to keep a 12-8 edge over the Wolves. Sophomore guard
Camden DiChiara came alive from the beyond the arc draining three triples, all assisted by Reyes, to grab a 22-12 advantage with 13:52 on the clock. Western Connecticut State soon narrowed UMass Dartmouth's lead down to four points with a 9-3 run featuring a three-pointer from Nicholas Moore.
Senior guard
Darius Peterson answered with triple for the Corsairs to regain a 28-21 edge in the game. The visitors kept the score close after two good free throws from Elijah Guillaume at the 9:42 mark to make it a one-point contest. The Wolves capitalized on a 9-0 run claim a 36-30 lead, approaching the last five minutes of the first half. Senior center
Cam Dunbury finished a pair free throws before McNair drained his second triple of the afternoon to narrow the Wolves advantage to 36-35. Both teams exchanged late baskets before the break, but the Wolves held on to a 45-43 lead at halftime.
Trailing 51-43 early in the second half, Dunbury kicked off a six-point run with a good layup t to make it a one possession game with 16:42 on the clock. A few minutes later, first year guard
Jesse Basse drilled a three-point shot for his first basket of the game, bringing the score to 58-54. Crossing the midway point of the half, Boyd clipped in a pair of triples before Dunbury dunked the ball off a lob from Reyes.
Nick Boyce finished two and-one plays for the Wolves to retake a 12-point cushion with 7:41 left in the game. Reyes went on to score four of the next seven points for the Corsairs, but the Western Connecticut State maintained a double-digit lead with less than four minutes remaining. DiChiara posted seven late points for the Corsairs highlighted by an and-one play, but the Wolves went on to cement their victory by a final score of 98-86 from the Tripp Athletic Center.
DiChiara finished the game with a season-high 25 points (9-16 FG, 3-8 3FG, 4-6 FT) to go along with nine rebounds and one blocked shot. Boyd produced 17 points after going 6-for-9 from the field featuring a game-high five made triples (5-8) while also recording one assist, one block, and a steal. Reyes posted his first double-double of the season with a 16-point effort (2-10 FG, 1-4 3FG, 11-12 FT) and career-high 14 assists along with seven boards and two steals. Dunbury recorded 10 points (3-3 FG, 4-5 FT) for the Corsairs with five rebounds, two assists, and two blocked shots.
UMass Dartmouth travels to Southern Maine for their next Little East tilt on Wednesday, January 14 starting at 4:00 p.m.
