With the win, the Huskies improve to 15-11 overall and 8-6 in the LEC, and advance to the semifinal round of the LEC tournament against No. 1 Rhode Island College (RIC) at The Murray Center on the campus of RIC Friday (6:00 p.m.). Southern Maine's 15 wins are the most since the 1991-92 season. UMass Boston finishes its season at 12-13 overall and 8-4 in the LEC.
The Huskies shot an outstanding 71 percent (22-for-31) from the field and 66.7 percent from three-point range in the first half, and finished the game shooting 51.6 percent from the floor and 47.8 percent from three-point range. Sullivan was 8-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc heading into halftime. The Huskies 58 first-half points is the most points they've scored in half this season and the most in a half since they scored 58 in the second half against RIC on January 11, 2011.
The Beacons took an early 4-3 lead on jumpers from junior forward Rahshjeem Benson (Boston, Mass/Dorchester) and sophomore guard Vinny Delucia (Miami, FL/Sagemont Upper School), but the Huskie answered with an 8-0 run to take a 12-4 lead and drained three three-pointers — with two coming from Sullivan — in final 2:04 to take a commanding 58-31 lead heading into halftime. Southern Maine was able to keep its lead in the second half and never looked back to secure the 85-65 win. The Huskies were a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
Southern Maine junior forward James Odneal (Pontiac, Mich./Bottineau) scored nine of his 15 points in the second half and finished with nine rebounds, including six offensive boards. Sullivan finished with a double-double, going 10-for-15 from the field and 3-for-5 from three-point range for 23 points, while grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds. Senior guard Mike Poulin (Readfield, Maine/Maranacook) scored a season-high 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field to go along with four assists. Senior forward Sean Bergeron (Kennebunk, Maine) was 3-for-6 from the floor and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, scoring all 10 of his points in the first half, and also had four rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Senior guards Brian Alexander (Bradenton, FL/Southeast), Alex Kee (Bath, Maine/Morse), and freshman guard Cole Libby (Buxton, Maine/Bonny Eagle) each scored six points, and Alexander chipped in with four assists and two steals.
The Beacons were led by Benson, who scored 18 points, dished out four assists, and tied a game-high in rebounds with 11. With his 11 rebounds, Benson set a new UMass Boston single-season rebounding record with 263 in 2012-2013. Delucia and Rosary III each added 11 points, and Rosary III grabbed 11 rebounds.
In the other LEC Semifinal, No. 3 Keene State College will take on Eastern
Connecticut State University at The Murray Center on Friday (8:00 p.m.). The winners of USM/UMB and KSC/ECSU will meet in the championship game on Saturday (TBA).
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