November 19, 2022

MBB: Panthers top Wentworth for fifth straight win

BOSTON, Mass. – The Plymouth State University men's basketball team defeated Wentworth Institute of Technology, 75-72, in a non-conference game at Nelson Recreation Center on Saturday afternoon.

Wentworth did not make things easy for the Panthers. After PSU made multiple attempts to run away with the game, the Leopards continued to claw back to keep things close. Wentworth had two chances to tie the game in the final 30 seconds, but Plymouth State held tough to finish out the hard-fought victory.

The Panthers found a well-balanced attack as junior Kyler Bosse (Manchester, N.H.) led the way with 24 points, while senior Giorgi Tsiklauri (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and junior Kevin Henry (Stratham, N.H.) added 17 points apiece. Sophomore Elijah Swanson (Meredith, N.H.) scored 13 points to help the Panthers earn their fifth straight win.

Plymouth State improves to 5-1 on the season, while the Leopards drop to 1-2.

The Basics:

• Plymouth State 75, Wentworth 72
  • Plymouth State (5-1)
  • Wentworth (1-2)

Top Performers:

• Kyler Bosse (24 pts, 10-17 fg, 4 reb)
• Kevin Henry (17 pts, 5-11 fg, 7-7 ft, 6 reb, 6 ast)
• Giorgi Tsiklauri (17 pts, 5-11 fg, 3-8 3pt, 4-4 ft)
• Elijah Swanson (13 pts, 5-6 fg, 1-1 3pt, 2-2 ft, 5 ast)

How it Happened:

• The teams started back-and-forth with the Panthers finding themselves down 8-6 with 15:12 on the clock.
• The Leopards were held scoreless for the next seven minutes, with PSU going on a 14-0 run, to take the lead, 20-8, with just under eight minutes left until halftime.
• Wentworth found its legs and continued to chip away at the deficit, until tying the game at 22-22 with 6:03 remaining in the first.
• Bosse hit the last three-pointer of the half to take the Panthers into the locker room with a 34-31 advantage.
• The Leopards scored the first six points of the second half to go up 37-34 with 17:58 to go in the contest.
• Plymouth State jumped on another run, riding an 11-2 streak to retake the lead, 47-39, with 12:45 left to go.
• Wentworth continued to claw back and got wo within one possession on multiple occasions, but the Panthers kept scoring to maintain a narrow lead.
• With 22 seconds left the Leopards had a chance to tie the game at the free throw but missed one-of-two to cut the margin to 73-72 as time wound down.
• Wentworth was forced to play the foul game, with Bosse knocking down both of his attempts to extend the lead to 75-72 with 16 seconds on the clock.
• The Leopards had a chance to tie as time expired but missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.

By the Numbers:

• The Panthers went 27-of-52 (51.9%) from the floor and 4-of-11 (36.4%) from three.
• Wentworth brough down 37 rebounds to PSU's 25, with a 13-2 advantage on the offensive glass.
• The Panthers knocked down 17-of-19 (89.5%) free throws.
• PSU held the lead for the final 16 minutes of play.
• PSU held a 28-22 advantage in points in the paint.
• This was just the second meeting between the two teams, as the Panthers topped Wentworth, 74-73, in Foley Gymnasium last November.

Up Next:

• Plymouth State will enjoy the Thanksgiving recess before hosting Thomas College on Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m.

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