January 18, 2023

MBB: Bosse's big game leads Panthers over NEC

PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Plymouth State University men's basketball team defeated New England College in a non-conference game, 73-56, in Foley Gymnasium on Wednesday night.

The Panthers were able to get ahead of a struggling NEC team in the first half and did not look back as the team stayed consistent on both ends of the floor to hold the Pilgrims to a season-low 56 points.

Junior Kyler Bosse (Manchester, N.H.) had another double-double, leading all scorers with 24 points and grabbing a game-high 16 rebounds, while classmate Alex Dean (Reading, Mass.) poured in a career-best 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Freshman Quinn Rotche (Ann Arbor, Mich.) was perfect from the floor for a total of nine points to round out the Panthers' leading scorers.

Plymouth State improves to 8-9 on the season, while the Pilgrims drop to 2-14.

The Basics:

• Plymouth State 73, NEC 56
  • Plymouth State (8-9)
  • NEC (2-14)

Top Performers:

• Kyler Bosse (24 pts, 10-18 fg, 2-5 3pt, 16 reb)
• Alex Dean (14 pts, 5-8 fg, 4-7 3pt)
• Quinn Rotche (9 pts, 3-3 fg, 1-1 3pt, 2-2 ft)

How it Happened:

• The game got off to a slow start as the Panthers led 8-4 with 15:32 left in the opening half.
• The Panthers extended the lead to 16-6 with 12:09 left in the first.
• Behind a 17-3 run, PSU extended the advantage to 33-11 with 3:58 before halftime.
• Plymouth State went into the locker room with a 41-20 lead.
• Back-and-forth scoring opened the second half, as the Panthers maintained a 55-34 lead with 11:52 left in the contest.
• The Pilgrims were unable to come back from the first half deficit as the Panthers closed out the win.

By the Numbers:

• The Panthers outrebounded the Pilgrims overall, 50-33, and 17-14 on the offensive glass.
• The Pilgrims led 4-2 with 17:37 on the clock in the first half – NEC's only lead of the contest.
• PSU's bench outscored the Pilgrims' reserves, 20-12.
• Plymouth State scored 16 points off turnovers, to NEC's 14.
• New England College held the edge in the paint, outscoring PSU by a 26-14 margin.
• Bosse has scored 20-plus points in his fifth consecutive game and crossed the 700-point threshold for his career.
• The victory was PSU's first over the Pilgrims since the 2009-10 season.
• PSU holds the lifetime advantage, 19-5, dating back to 1986.

Up Next:

• The Panthers kick off the second half of the Little East Conference (LEC) season on Saturday (Jan. 21) at WestConn. Opening tip is set for 3:00 p.m.

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