Three Panthers finish in double-figures in non-conference victory

            LYNDON CENTER, Vt. – Senior Jack Preston (Nashua, N.H.) led a trio of Panthers in double-figures as Plymouth State University defeated Lyndon State College, 68-63, in non-conference men's basketball action at Stannard Gymnasium on Thursday night. 

            Preston again came off the bench to finish with a team-high 15 points in 16 minutes.  Classmate Curtis Arsenault (Berlin, N.H.) and junior Brian Boulay (Keene, N.H.) finished with 12 points each as the Panthers improved to 3-2. 

            Plymouth State used a 15-3 run to take control in the first half, and held a 36-27 lead at the break.  Lyndon State cut the deficit down to three (42-39) midway through the second half, but the Panthers surged ahead 61-46 with six minutes to play.  LSC closed the game with a 17-7 run, but it was too little, too late as PSU held on for the win.

THE BASICS

  Stannard Gymnasium, Lyndon Center, Vt. – Thurs., Dec. 1, 2016

  Plymouth State 68, Lyndon State 63

  Records:

  Plymouth State 3-2; Lyndon State 1-3

PSU LEADERS

  * Preston … team-highs of 15 points (6-of-11) and eight rebounds

  * Arsenault … 12 points, four assists, three steals, two blocks

  * Boulay … 12 points

  * Junior Kieran Beck (Danvers, Mass.) … eight points, seven rebounds, four blocks

  * Sophomore Mike Osgood (Nashua, N.H.) … six points, seven rebounds

BY THE NUMBERS

  * Plymouth State shot 38.5% (20-of-52) from the field, including 5-of-17 from long range, though the Hornets connected on eight three-pointers.

  * LSC shot 37.7% (23-of-61) from the field and 34.8% (8-of-23) from downtown.

  * The Panthers outscored the Hornets 23-9 from the charity stripe, connecting on 23-of-24 free throws.  Lyndon State finished 9-of-16.

  * Plymouth State never trailed in the game.  The teams were tied twice early in the first half.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half:

  * Boulay got the Panthers off to a good start, as the junior drained two three-pointers in the opening 1:20 for a quick 6-0 lead.

  * Junior Charles Correa (Prospect Heights, R.I.) responded for the Hornets, also connecting on two long-balls to knot the score after three minutes.

  * A dunk from Osgood sparked a 15-3 run for Plymouth State, putting the visitors up 27-13 with 6:18 left in the half.  Osgood added a pair of free throws in the run, while freshman Nathan Hale (Nashua, N.H.) drained his second three-pointer of the contest.

  * Correa connected on his third triple of the night to cut the Hornets deficit to nine (34-25) with 2:06 left in the half.

  * Lyndon State junior Dawda Jallow (Allen, Texas) hit a jumper late to make the score 36-27 at the half.

Second Half:

  * LSC junior Raymond Monroe (Cranston, R.I.) connected from deep to cap a 10-2 Hornets' run, cutting the deficit to 42-39 seven minutes into the second half.

  * The Panthers answered with a 7-0 run, including five points from Preston, to push the lead back to double-digits (49-39) midway through the half.

  * Arsenault connected on four straight free throws following a technical foul to give PSU its largest lead of the game, 61-46, with just over six minutes to play.

  * The Hornets slowly chipped away at the Plymouth State lead and a tip-in from freshman Jahleel Gabriel (Springfield, Mass.) cut the lead to 65-59 with 37 seconds to go.

  * Arsenault hit three-of-four free throws in the final seconds to hold off the LSC comeback attempt.  A late jumper from Lyndon State senior Eric Vargas (Lowell, Mass.) made the final score 68-63.

NEXT UP

  Plymouth State @ Rhode Island College, Providence, R.I. – Sat., Dec. 3 (3:00 p.m.)

  Lyndon State @ Colby-Sawyer, New London, N.H. – Sat., Dec. 3 (1:00 p.m.)

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