PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore
Kyler Bosse (Manchester, N.H.) drilled a straight-on three-pointer as time expired to lift Plymouth State University to a 75-74 win over #25 University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in a thrilling Little East Conference (LEC) men's basketball game on Senior Day in Foley Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
The Corsairs drained a triple to take a 72-70 lead with 29 seconds remaining, but senior
Gerald Fleming (Tampa, Fla.) sank a tough interior bucket to tie the game with 17 seconds on the clock. UMass Dartmouth went back in the lead on a baseline jumper with only five seconds to play, but PSU inbounded quickly and Bosse sprinted down the court before pulling up for the game-winner as the clock went to 0:00, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
Freshman
Yansel Reyes (Manchester, N.H.) led the Panthers with 15 points, while Bosse added 13 of his own. Junior
Giorgi Tsiklauri (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored 11 points and senior
Dante Rivera (Lawrence, Mass.) chipped in 10 in the winning effort.
Prior to the game Plymouth State honored six senior athletes and three managers for their contributions to the program: managers
Glenn Graunas,
Ethan Charles,
Danny Carey, along with Fleming, Rivera,
Devin Cooper (Newfield, N.Y.),
Cody Graham (Rye, N.H.),
Chris McCarthy (Chelmsford, Mass.) and
Manny Alisandro (Manchester, N.H.).
Plymouth State has won six in a row and seven-of-eight to lock up at least the fourth seed for the upcoming LEC Tournament. PSU now sits at 14-9 (9-5 LEC), while UMass Dartmouth, ranked 25th in the country, falls to 19-3 and 11-2 in the LEC.
The two teams will meet again tomorrow at UMass Dartmouth.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 75, UMass Dartmouth 74
- Plymouth State (14-9, 9-5 LEC)
- UMass Dartmouth (19-3, 11-2 LEC)
Top Performers:
How it Happened:
- The Panthers found themselves in a battle to start, leading 9-8 after the first 4:22.
- UMass Dartmouth made back-to-back threes to go up 18-14 at the 11:41 mark in the first.
- An 11-0 run pushed the Panthers back in the lead, 27-22, with 5:50 remaining.
- The Corsairs retied the game at 35-35 with 1:24 left, and the score would remain the same heading into halftime.
- The visitors used a 12-2 surge to take a 47-40 lead over the first five minutes of the second half.
- PSU battled back to pull ahead, 58-53, with 9:27 remaining.
- After the Corsairs went up by five, 63-58, Plymouth State once again clawed back to take a 65-63 lead with just over four minutes to play.
- PSU clung to a one-point lead, 70-69, heading into the final minute, but a Corsairs' three-pointer put the visitors ahead.
- Fleming knotted the game at 72-72, before the visitors answered with just five seconds left to go up 74-72, setting up Bosse's heroics.
By the Numbers:
- Plymouth State shot 31-of-66 (47.0%) from the floor and 9-of-19 (47.4%) from three.
- The Corsairs outrebounded PSU, 42-35, and 14-10 on the offensive glass.
- Neither team led by more than seven points throughout the contest.
- PSU's depth came up big as the Panthers' reserves outscored their counterparts, 43-7.
- Plymouth State has won six straight for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
- The Panthers, currently fourth in the LEC, have beaten each of the three teams ahead of them in the standings.
- The last time PSU knocked off a ranked opponent was during the 2014-15 season in a victory over #22 Eastern Connecticut.
Up Next:
- The Panthers have a second bite at UMass Dartmouth as the teams meet again tomorrow (Feb. 13) in Massachusetts. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
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