DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Powered by a double-double from senior center
Cam Dunbury and double-figure efforts from four other players, the UMass Dartmouth men's basketball team battled to an 84-72 victory over the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Saturday at the Tripp Athletic Center. The Corsairs move to 7-4 overall, while the Engineers slip to 4-7 on the season.
It was a close battle to open the first half with neither team conceding more than three points before the gap closed once more. The Corsairs opened an 18-12 advantage on a layup from Dunbury, but MIT battle back as a Michael Zhang layup at 6:48 turned the tide into a 19-18 lead for the visitors.
A three-pointer from junior center Wyatt Mowery made it a 24-18 lead with 4:08 remaining, but the Corsairs charged back behind a three from senior guard
Darius Peterson, a layup from rookie
Mahdee McNair and a fast break bucket in the paint by Dunbury to regain a 30-29 lead with 1:19 on the clock. A pair of free throws from Dunbury and a layup inside by sophomore guard
Camden DiChiara saw the home team head into the locker room with a 34-31 lead at halftime.
UMass Dartmouth – which led by as many as eight to open the second stanza – saw their lead evaporate as five straight points, coupled with a Zhang three-pointer and a free throw make from junior center Merlin Gogolin saw the Engineers regain a 50-49 lead at 12:22. MIT continued to add to their lead, taking a 57-52 edge on a free throw from senior guard Rome Delgado-Gonzalez, but once again, the Corsairs battled.
A layup from sophomore guard
Danny Reyes started the run at 7:17 as the home team posted five points to regain the 62-61 lead. Another three from Zhang at 5:49 helped swing the momentum back to the Engineers, but free throws from Dunbury and McNair opened a four-point advantage (70-66) with 3:53 left to play.
The Corsairs continued to gain momentum opening a 10-point lead (80-70) on a pair of free throw makes from senior guard
Nic Boyd and UMD continued to take advantage at the line – capped by a dunk from Dunbury to end the game for the victory.
Dunbury recorded 17 points with 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season, adding two assists, two blocks and a steal. Boyd chipped in with 16 points, going 5-for-12 from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 at the line, while adding four boards. McNair posted 14 points with an assist and a steal, as DiChiara chipped in with 13 points and three boards – adding a game-high four assists with four steals.
The Corsairs shot 82.4% from the free throw line in the game with a 28-34 margin, while finishing 25-of-59 from the floor (43.3%).
UMass Dartmouth returns to action on Tuesday, traveling to Eastern Connecticut State for a 7pm tilt against the Warriors in Little East action. The Corsairs return to Tripp on Thursday, squaring off against conference-rival, UMass Boston at 6pm.
