December 17, 2022

MBB: UMass Dartmouth slips past Panthers in second half

PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Plymouth State University men's basketball team fell to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 78-72, in a Little East Conference (LEC) game at Foley Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

Both teams shot near a 50% clip as the Panthers held onto a narrow halftime lead. The Corsairs finished off a 19-5 run midway through the second half to take a nine-point lead they would not relinquish. PSU had a chance to tie the game with five minutes to play, but a timely UMD three-pointer put it out of reach as the Corsairs wrapped up the win.

Junior Kevin Henry (Stratham, N.H.) led the Panthers with 21 points, while sophomore Elijah Swanson (Meredith, N.H.) scored 17 points of his own. Junior Kyler Bosse (Manchester, N.H.) and senior Giorgi Tsiklauri (Brooklyn, N.Y.) each scored in double-figures with 16 and 10 points, respectively.

Plymouth State slips to 6-6 (0-4 LEC) on the season, while the Corsairs are now 3-5 and 2-0 in league play.

The Basics:

• Plymouth State 72, UMass Dartmouth 78
  • Plymouth State (6-6, 0-4 LEC)
  • UMass Dartmouth (3-5, 2-0 LEC)

Top Performers:

• Kevin Henry (21 pts, 1-1 3pt, 4 ast)
• Elijah Swanson (17 pts, 6-8 fg, 8 reb)
• Kyler Bosse (16 pts, 7-12 fg, 6 reb)
• Giorgi Tsiklauri (10 pts, 3-8 fg, 2-4 3pt)

How it Happened:

• UMD scored the game's first eight points to take the early lead.
• The Panthers cut the gap to 9-8 with 14:55 on the clock in the opening frame.
• The Corsairs opened the lead back to eight points, 21-13, with 8:59 remaining.
• PSU took its first lead of the game behind an 11-2 run to go up 35-32 with 2:17 before halftime.
• The Panthers maintained the three-point advantage to lead 37-34 at the half.
• UMD retook the lead, 51-49, with 12:12 left in the contest, forcing a Plymouth State timeout.
• A 13-2 run for the Corsairs gave the visitors a 60-51 lead midway through the second half.
• The Panthers cut it to three points, 66-63, with 5:22 remaining in the contest.
• PSU was limited to one field goal over the final five minutes as the Corsairs held on for the win.

By the Numbers:

• The Panthers went 26-of-54 (48.1%) from the floor and 6-of-11 (54.5%) from three.
• Plymouth State was outrebounded by a narrow, 35-32 margin.
• The Corsairs' bench outscored the PSU reserves.
• Both teams recorded five blocks.
• Henry reached the 20-point threshold for the second time this season.
• UMass Dartmouth has won three straight against the Panthers, including last year's LEC Tournament semifinal.

Up Next:

• Plymouth State will take two weeks off for the holidays before returning to action at Southern Maine on Jan. 4.

– 30 –