PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior
Dante Rivera (Lawrence, Mass.) became the 34th player in Plymouth State University men's basketball history to record 1,000 career points, but the Panthers fell to Middlebury College, 76-68, in a non-conference matchup at Foley Gymnasium on Tuesday evening.
Rivera reached the milestone on a tip in layup to tie the game at 14 in the first half and went on to lead the Panthers in scoring with a team-high 17 points. Senior
Manny Alisandro (Manchester, N.H.) scored 13 points of his own in the losing effort, while sophomore
Kevin Henry (Stratham, N.H.) added 10.
PSU kept things tight against a strong Middlebury team that is receiving votes in the most recent D3hoops.com national poll, trailing by just five (69-64) with 2:18 to play, but Middlebury was able to hold on for the win.
Plymouth State falls to 7-6 on the year, while Middlebury improves to 14-2.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 68, Middlebury 76
- Plymouth State (7-6)
- Middlebury (14-2)
Top Performers:
How it Happened:
- PSU jumped out to an early 6-2 lead in the opening two minutes.
- Middlebury took its first lead of the game (14-12) with 12:31 left in the opening half.
- Rivera got to the basket on an inbounds play and tipped in his own miss to reach the milestone and knot the game at 14-14.
- PSU regained the lead, then extended the advantage to 24-18 as part of a 10-4 run highlighted by a Gerald Fleming (Tampa, Fla.) dunk with 7:49 on the clock.
- Middlebury continued to fight back, but PSU maintained its lead and went to the locker room with a 35-32 advantage.
- Middlebury opened the second half with a 7-2 run to go up 39-37, but PSU rallied for a 44-42 lead with 14:50 left to play.
- The visitors responded to take a seven-point lead (55-48) with just over 11 minutes remaining.
- PSU was able to cut the game to five (69-64) on a bucket from sophomore Kyler Bosse (Manchester, N.H.) with just over two minutes left to play, but that was as close as the Panthers would get.
By the Numbers:
- PSU went 29-of-67 (43.3%) from the floor and held an 11-7 advantage on the offensive glass.
- Middlebury shot an efficient 57.7% from the floor.
- Plymouth State held a slight 34-32 edge on points in the paint.
- Rivera currently ranks 32nd in program history with 1,013 career points.
Up Next:
- The Panthers jump back into Little East Conference (LEC) action to face Western Connecticut State University on Saturday (Jan. 22). Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m. at Foley Gymnasium.
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