WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – The Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball team missed five shots and turned the ball over five times on ten possessions in a four-minute stretch late in the first half that allowed Western Connecticut State University to score 13 straight points and expand a four-point lead to 17 and eventually post an 86-65 Little East Conference victory Wednesday evening at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.
With its sixth Little East home loss in as many games and eighth setback in the last nine games, Eastern (4-17, 1-11 LEC) remains in ninth (last) place with four conference regular-season games remaining. The Warriors are four games behind the University of Massachusetts Boston (6-15, 5-7 LEC), which holds down the sixth and final LEC playoff spot, and unofficially, have been eliminated from LEC tournament contention (UMass Boston would gain the tie-breaker if the teams finish in a tie for six place due to having swept the Warriors in the LEC regular-season pair.
WestConn (17-4, 10-2 LEC) retains a firm hold on the No. 2 spot in the LEC, 1 ½ games behind unbeaten leader Keene State College and 1 ½ games ahead of third-place University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. The top two seeds gain first-round LEC tournament byes while No. 3 hosts No. 6 and No. 4 hosts No. 5 in first-round games Feb. 20.
After trailing by 22 points at halftime in a 21-point loss at WestConn Jan. 3, the Warriors trailed by only four with five minutes left in the first half Wednesday before the Wolves reeled off 13 unanswered points and moved out to a 17-point, 37-20 lead in the final two minutes of the half on the way to an 11-point, 38-27 halftime lead.
For the second time this year against WestConn, Eastern committed a season-high 26 turnovers which led to 33 WestConn points. Seventeen of the turnovers came in the first half when the Warriors were unable to handle their opponent's fullcourt press, which produced 12 steals and a +14 scoring advantage off turnovers.
In WestConn's decisive run of 13 straight points late in the first half, the Warriors gave the ball away on three consecutive possessions. Jaheim Young had eight of his team's points in that stretch, two coming on his own steal and two more on his offensive rebound.
Young led both teams with 21 points, with Alfonso Stokes adding 20 points (6-of-8 FG, 7-of-8 FT) and seven rebounds. Seven players contributed at least one steal, with Jordan Belcher coming off the bench for five.
Eastern finished with a season-high 12 three-point field goals, but eight of them came in the second half when the outcome was already assured in the Wolves' favor.
Jeremiah Graham (Jacksonville, FL), Dominick Dao (Terryville) and Ty Calloway (Enfield) all had 12 points for Eastern, with Calloway coming off the bench for his points. The Warriors got a total of only six points from three starters other than Graham and Dao.
Eastern hosts Keene State College in an LEC game Wednesday at 7 p.m.