NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Senior Ryan Lambert (Derry, N.H./Pinkerton Academy) scored a game-high 17 points and snared a game-high 14 rebounds Saturday afternoon as Plymouth State University defeated the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 71-68, in Little East Conference men's basketball action at the Tripp Athletic Center.

              Chergey scored his 17 points on 3-of-9 shooting from the floor and 10-of-13 from the free-throw line.  Junior Brian Chergey (Bow, N.H.) added 12 points while senior Tom Dowd (Portsmouth, N.H.) added 10 points and five rebounds.

              PSU led by 21 points early in the second half but UMD whittled the margin down to two points before the Panthers held on for the win.  Plymouth State improves to 8-8 overall and 3-4 in LEC play while UMass Dartmouth drops to 7-11 overall and 3-4 in the conference.

              UMass Dartmouth had three players amass double-digit point totals in the loss. Senior Brandon Stephens (Dorchester, Mass.) netted a team-high 15 points, classmate Kyle Yeadon (Hanson, Mass.) scored a season-high 12 points, and junior Justin Pulver (Plymouth, Mass.) grabbed a team-high seven rebounds along with 11 points.

              The Panthers outscored the Corsairs 14-7 midway through the first half, taking a 22-10 lead. A 13-10 run by Plymouth State, featuring 11 points by Chergey, closed out the first half with a 35-20 PSU advantage.

              PSU gained its largest lead early in the second half, 43-22. The Corsairs executed an 19-6 run over seven minutes, fueled by six points from Yeadon, to pull within eight points, 49-41. A three-pointer by Stephens with 7:30 to play made the score 57-50, but the Panthers answered with three consecutive baskets, pushing their lead back up to 63-50.

               UMD orchestrated a 13-3 run over the next three minutes, charged by two three-pointers from Yeadon, to pull within three points, 66-63, with 2:44 to play. Following two made free throws by Panther senior Matt Feehan (Nashua, N.H.), junior Colin Burns (Chepachet, R.I.) buried a deep three-pointer to cut the Panther lead to only two points. After three more Panther free throws, Stephens made a lay-up, making it 71-68 with 20 seconds left. PSU missed two free throws, keeping the Corsairs alive, but junior Paul Rose (Boston, Mass.) missed a three-point attempt that would have tied the game.

              The LEC circuit resumes on Tuesday as UMass Dartmouth hosts Rhode Island College and PSU visits rival Keene State.

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