GORHAM, Maine – Despite not playing in nearly a month, the Plymouth State University men's basketball team showed little rust on the way to an 83-64 win over the University of Southern Maine in a non-conference game at Warren G. Hill Gymnasium on Thursday night.
 
The Huskies took a 2-0 lead on their opening possession, but PSU responded with a three-pointer and the Panthers would not trail again. PSU shot better than 55% in the opening half to build a comfortable 41-29 lead at the break, and the Panthers were never threatened over the final 20 minutes.
 
Senior Devin Cooper (Newfield, N.Y.) was dominant, pouring in 17 points (7-of-11 shooting) and grabbing 15 rebounds, while three other Panthers finished in double figures.
 
Plymouth State improves to 1-2, while Southern Maine drops to 2-2.
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 83, Southern Maine 64
  • Plymouth State (1-2)
  • Southern Maine (2-2)

Top Performers:

• Plymouth State
  • Devin Cooper (17 pts, 7-11 fg, 15 reb, 3 ast)
  • Dante Rivera (14 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast)
• Southern Maine
  • Jacobe Thomas (16 pts, 8 reb, 3 stl)
  • Marcus Christopher (8 pts, 2 reb, 3 stl)

How it Happened:

• PSU jumped out to an 8-5 lead over the first five minutes behind three-pointers from sophomores Tom Johnson (Warner, N.H.) and Giorgi Tsiklauri (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and a pretty reverse layup from senior Gerald Fleming (Tampa, Fla.).
• After USM cut the deficit to one, Plymouth State answered with an 18-6 run over the next seven minutes to build a 26-13 advantage. PSU made 8-of-10 shots during the surge, with sophomore Cody Graham (Rye, N.H.) accounting for six points.
• The hosts pulled within eight moments later, but again the Panthers responded, this time outscoring the Huskies 11-4 to seize a 15-point lead, 37-22, with 3:06 left in the half. PSU would go into the break with a 41-29 advantage.
• Plymouth State maintained a comfortable throughout the second half. Cooper's offensive board and tip-in gave the Panthers their biggest lead, 61-38, with 12:27 left on the clock.
• PSU would lead by at least 16 points the rest of the way.

By the Numbers:

• Despite the long layoff, Plymouth State shot 16-of-29 (55.2%) from the floor and outrebounded the Huskies by a 26-10 margin in the first half. PSU's last game was 26 days ago – Feb. 6 – at Keene State.
• The Panthers finished the game shooting 53.2% (33-of-62), while limiting the hosts to just 24-of-61 (39.3%) from the field.
• Plymouth State controlled the interior, holding a 44-25 advantage on the boards and outscoring the Huskies by a 42-28 margin in the paint.
• Junior Dante Rivera (Methuen, Mass.) chipped in with 14 points, five rebounds and six assists, while Johnson (12 points) and Tsiklauri (10 points) also finished in double digits.
• The Panthers have won four of the last five meetings.

Up Next:

• Plymouth State wraps up the COVID-shortened season on Saturday (Mar. 6) at Northern Vermont University-Johnson at 1:00 p.m.