GORHAM, Maine – Despite a season-high 31 points from sophomore guard
Camden DiChiara, the UMass Dartmouth men's basketball team came up short at the University of Southern Maine, 95-89, on Wednesday in Little East Conference (LEC) action. The Corsairs dropped to 2-4 in conference play and 8-7 overall while the Huskies move to a 4-2 league record with win from the Hill Gymnasium.
UMass Dartmouth grabbed an early 8-2 lead in the opening minutes of action with four different Corsairs finding the basket. DiChiara clipped in the first triple of the contest off the feed from senior guard
Nic Boyd to extend the Corsairs advantage to 13-6 with 16:18 on the clock. After the Huskies narrowed the Corsairs lead down to 13-10, senior center
Ryan Flauto finished a good layup to make it 15-10. Thomas Whelan tied the score up at 15-all with his driving layup, but sophomore guard
Danny Reyes quickly answered with a basket to regain a two-point edge.
Senior center
Cam Dunbury kept UMass Dartmouth ahead 19-18 with a good basket in the paint, but the Huskies generated a 6-0 run to take a 24-19 lead in the contest with 9:03 left in the opening half. Flauto responded by scoring the next six straight points for the Corsairs before Reyes regained a 27-26 edge with two made free throws. At the 5:22 mark, DiChiara drained his second three-pointer of the afternoon with Flauto picking up the assist to stay ahead 30-28. Southern Maine's offense came alive late in the half going on a 12-2 run after DiChiara's triple to help the Huskies take a 42-36 lead into halftime.
Flauto paced UMass Dartmouth's offense early in the second half, scoring the first four points highlighted by a dunk to cut the home team's advantage to 46-40. Thanks to another DiChiara three-pointer and a driving layup from Reyes, the Corsairs were able to make it a one possession game with 16:58 on the clock. A few minutes after Boyd knocked down his first triple of the afternoon, both teams continued to exchange baskets approaching the midway point of the second half.
Trailing 70-61 with 8:45 remaining, Flauto finished a layup followed by a jumper by first year guard
Mahdee McNair to make it 73-65. DiChiara made it a four-point after tacking on six more points for the Corsairs with a triple and three free throws. The Huskies regained a double-digit lead thanks to a 9-2 run late in the game highlighted by a triple from Carter Galley. UMass Dartmouth battled to the end as senior guard
Darius Peterson nailed a three-point shot in the last minute of play, but Southern Maine went on to secure their fourth conference victory of the year by a final score of 95-89 from the Hill Gymnasium.
DiChiara dropped a season-high 31 points against the Huskies after going 10-for-19 from the floor including a game-high five three-pointers (5-10) along with 6-of-7 made free throws. Additionally, he recorded a career-high five steals to go along with four rebounds and an assist. Reyes finished the afternoon with 17 points (6-17 FG, 5-6 FT) with six rebounds, five assists, and a blocked shot. Flauto notched his fourth double-double of the season with 16 points (7-10 FG, 2-2 FT) and 13 rebounds while also earning a career-high four steals. Boyd (3-8 FG, 1-4 3FG, 1-2 FT) and McNair (3-7 FG, 2-2 FT) each scored eight points apiece for the Corsairs.
UMass Dartmouth returns to LEC action on Saturday, January 17 hosting the Panthers of Plymouth State University for a 3:00 p.m. tipoff from the Tripp Athletic Center.
