PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Plymouth State University men's basketball team held off a second half surge to defeat Wentworth Institute of Technology, 74-73, in a non-conference game at Foley Gymnasium Tuesday night.
 
Senior Dante Rivera (Lawrence, Mass.) led the Panthers with 24 points while going 6-of-7 from three-point land, while sophomore Kyler Bosse (Manchester, N.H.) scored 14 points of his own, shooting an efficient 75% from the floor (6-for-8).
 
The Leopards had a chance to win the game with seconds to go, but a missed layup opportunity and a big defensive rebound by senior Devin Cooper (Newfield, N.Y.) secured the win for the Panthers.
 
Prior to tip-off the Panthers honored alumna Joe Simpson, who eclipsed the 1,000-point threshold during the 2019-20 season in a brief on-court ceremony.
 
Plymouth State goes to 1-1 on the season, while the Leopards fall to 0-1.
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 74, Wentworth 73
  • Plymouth State (1-1)
  • Wentworth (0-1)

Top Performers:

• Dante Rivera (24 pts, 8-12 fg, 6-7 3pt, 3 stl)
• Kyler Bosse (14 pts, 6-8 fg, 4 reb)
• Devin Cooper (6 pts, 9 reb, 1 blk)

How it Happened:

• The Panthers opened the contest with an early 13-5 lead, spurred by Rivera scoring in back-to-back possessions.
• Plymouth State extended the lead to twelve (25-13) when junior Giorgi Tsiklauri (Brooklyn, N.Y.) drained a fade-away three and converted the free throw for a four-point play with just over 8:00 left in the first.
• Tight defense forced several tough shots for the Leopards, who were held to only 34.4% shooting in the first half. Plymouth State led at the half 40-30.
• Wentworth came out roaring to open the second half on a 13-5 run to pull within two, 45-43, in the first seven minutes.
• After a timeout, Rivera hit a crucial three-pointer stopping the Leopards' charge to put the Panthers up 48-43.
• The teams continued to trade buckets until a baseline jumper from the visitors with 8:01 left to play put Wentworth up 57-56, the team's first lead since the opening minutes of the game.
• Rivera turned it on, scoring nine straight points as the Panthers regained the lead for good, 67-65, with 4:28 to play.
• Wentworth had a chance to win the game with the clock winding down, but a missed layup and Cooper's team-high ninth rebound secured the win for PSU.

By the Numbers:

• The Panthers went 28-of-63 (44.4%) from the floor and 8-of-19 (42.1%) from distance.
• Wentworth out-rebounded PSU 44-41, and 13-6 on the offensive glass.
• PSU held the lead for nearly 90% of the game.
• Wentworth never led by more than two points for the entire contest.
• Points in the paint were in favor of the Panthers, 30-24.
• This was the first time the two teams have met on record.

Up Next:

• The Panthers travel to Carter Gymnasium to face NVU-Johnson on Thursday night (Nov. 11). Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.