PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior Tom Dowd (Portsmouth, N.H.) led Plymouth State University with 17 points Tuesday evening at Foley Gymnasium as the Panthers picked up their first Little East Conference victory of the season with an 81-64 decision over the University of Massachusetts Boston.

              Dowd was one of four Panthers to score in double figures as PSU stopped a four-game losing streak and improved to 6-7 overall and 1-3 in conference play.  Senior Bill Stowell (Stratham, N.H.) added 13 points and three blocked shots.  Dowd and Stowell combined to make 12-of-14 shots, the former making 7-of-8 from the field and the latter converting 5-of-6.  Senior Ryan Lambert (Derry, N.H./Pinkerton) and junior Jesse Sabolis (Stoughton, Mass.) added 10 points apiece in the win, and Lambert handed out eight assists.

              Junior Michael Mitchell (Boston, Mass.) led the way for the Beacons, scoring 17 points and adding four rebounds, four assists and three steals.  Senior Mo Johnson (Portland, Ore.) made 5-of-6 shots from three-point range to finish with 15 points, but the Beacons fell to 6-7 overall and remained winless in LEC play at 0-4.

              It was a close game for the first 11 minutes as the score was tied at 18-all with nine minutes to play in the first half.  PSU took charge and outscored the Beacons 18-2 over the next seven minutes to open up a 16-point margin (36-20).  Freshman Alex Burt (Dover, N.H.), who finished with nine points, drained a pair of three-pointers in the Panther rally, and Dowd and senior Ian Dempsey (Andover, Mass.) chipped in with four points apiece.

              The Panthers opened the second half with a 12-3 spurt to extend the lead to 25 points (50-25).  PSU's largest lead was 31 points (63-32) before the Beacons whittled the margin down to 14 with less than three minutes remaining.  UMB got as close as 13 points with a minute to play before time ran out.

              PSU shot 56 percent from the field in the game, including 60 percent in the second half, while UMB converted at a 39 percent clip, including just 29 percent in the first half.

              Plymouth State is back in action with an LEC game Saturday at Rhode Island College, while the Beacons return home to host Bridgewater State Thursday in a non-conference affair. 

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