BOSTON – The Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball team cut a 13-point deficit to three points three times in the second half but could get no closer as the Warriors were beaten away from home for the first time in seven games this year, 77-70 by the University of Massachusetts Boston Saturday afternoon at the Clark Athletic Center.
Eastern (6-2, 0-2 LEC) trailed by eight at halftime when it shot just 32.4 percent from the floor (2-of-11 from distance) but battled back from 13 points down in the first five minutes of the second half by reeling off nine straight points to cut the gap to three points on three occasions.
Within three, 57-54, on a three-point field goal by sophomore guard Elijah Jean-Guillaume (New Haven), Eastern missed three of four shots and turned the ball over twice that helped UMass Boston (5-2, 2-1 LEC) regain a 13-point, 69-56 lead with six minutes left before Eastern made a late run to make it a three-point game again.
With less than 30 seconds left, junior guard Michael Carothers (Queens, NY) hit his only three-point field goal and followed it up with a steal and layup that made it 73-70. Carothers couldn't convert a free throw after the steal and layup and UMass sank four free throws in the final 13 seconds to seal its third straight win over Eastern. Since losing 22 straight in the series, UMB has won six of the last 11.
With 6-foot-7 inch junior Jalen Hamblin (West Hartford) out of the lineup, 6-foot-5 inch freshman guard Carmon Perkins had 20 points, nine rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals for the Beacons. At 27.0 points per game, Perkins ranks third in Division III in scoring. He is also shooting 63.3 percent from the floor and averages 7.4 rebounds.
Junior forward Julian Sanchez (Willimantic) finished with his second straight double-double for Eastern with game-highs of 21 points and 12 rebounds. Jean-Guillaum added a season-high 15 points with five rebounds and Carothers a season-high 11 points along with seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Ranked second-to-last in the LEC in free throw percentage, UMass Boston was 11-of-11 from the stripe, nine coming in the second half.
Eastern hosts Anna Maria College Dec. 29 at 3 p.m. in the opening round of the Eastern Holiday Invitational at Geissler Gymnasium.