WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – With a shooting percentage just over 40 percent this year, the Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball team has had trouble scoring points. Saturday, however, they had little difficulty preventing them, limiting Plymouth State University to 15 first-half points and going on to snap a five-game losing streak, 74-54, in a Little East Conference game at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.
While it only managed to only equal its season shooting percentage in the first half, Eastern (3-7, 1-2 LEC) held Plymouth (6-5, 0-3 LEC) to 15 points on 27 percent shooting in the first half and forced 14 turnovers that led to 17 points (in the game, Eastern scored 30 points off turnovers), and raced to a 16-point, 31-15 halftime lead.
Eastern was aided in its defensive effort by the absence of 6-foot-4 inch junior Kyler Bosse, Plymouth's scoring leader (18.8 ppg.) who ranks fourth in the LEC in that department who sat out his first game of the season. Bosse, who also missed Eastern's 80-66 win over Plymouth when the teams met last year at Geissler Gym, led the Panthers with 26 points (12-of-15 FG) and ten rebounds in their 78-73 triumph a year ago at PSU's Foley Gymnasium.
Shooting under 30 percent from three-point range this year, Eastern shot a season-high 41 percent (13-of-32) from distance against Plymouth in recording a season-high total of threes in defeating the Panthers at home for the 14th straight time.
First-year guard Dominick Dao (Terryville) was one of six Eastern players to contribute at least one three-pointer. Dao was 6-of-9 from distance (5-of-7 in the second half) en route to a career-high 26 points (10-of-14 FG). He also had a game-high eight rebounds and shared game-high honors with four assists and three steals.
While Plymouth had three starters log at least 33 minutes, Eastern's bench compiled a 25-9 advantage in points, with senior forward Rakesh Tibby (East Hartford) chipped in seven points, five rebounds and two assists in 27 bench minutes. First-year sophomore guard Dan Wellington (Bridgeport) connected on the first two field goals of his career, converting both of his tries (one a three-pointer) for five points in three bench minutes.
Behind Dao, senior guard Jalen Williams (Simsbury) had ten points in a starting role to go along with three assists, three blocks, three steals and two rebounds in 29 minutes.
Plymouth got 12 points, five blocked shots and seven rebounds from sophomore forward Elijah Swanson, 12 points and six rebounds from senior guard Giorgi Tasiklauri and 12 points and four rebounds from junior guard Kevin Henry.
The loss was the fourth straight for Plymouth, which had won five of its first six games away from Foley Gym this year.
Eastern hosts its own Holiday Invitational Dec. 29-30 at Geissler Gym, facing New Jersey City University at 3 p.m. on the first day.