GORHAM, Maine – Sophomore
Kyler Bosse (Manchester, N.H.) scored six points in the final 1:16 and hit all four of his free throw attempts to help Plymouth State University hold off the University of Southern Maine, 72-70, in Little East Conference men's basketball action Wednesday night at Warren G. Hill Gymnasium.
The Panthers found themselves in a game that saw 13 lead changes and eight ties, with neither team holding a double-digit lead at any point. A layup gave the Huskies a 59-58 lead with 4:35 to play, but Bosse drained a jumper on the ensuing PSU possession and the Panthers would lead the rest of the way.
Bosse drained ten of his game-high 26 points during that final four-and-a-half-minute stretch to guide the Panthers to the win. Senior
Manny Alisandro (Manchester, N.H.) added ten points, while classmate
Manny Sanchez (Lawrence, Mass.) came off the bench to chip in ten points of his own in the win.
Winners of five straight, the Panthers improve to 13-9 (8-5 LEC) and are playing their best basketball of the year leading into a huge LEC matchup with nationally ranked University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on back-to-back days this weekend.
Southern Maine falls to 9-12 and 4-8 in the LEC.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 72, Southern Maine 70
- Plymouth State (13-9, 8-5 LEC)
- Southern Maine (9-12, 4-8 LEC)
Top Performers:
How it Happened:
- The teams found themselves knotted at 10-10 with 13:24 remaining in the opening half.
- USM opened up a seven-point lead, 26-19, with 3:46 on the clock.
- The Panthers closed out the final three minutes with an 11-2 surge to take a narrow 30-28 lead into the locker room at the half.
- PSU extended its lead to seven, 35-28, just over a minute into the second half.
- The Huskies came back to regain the lead, 44-41, at the 12:33 mark.
- An 8-2 run over the next four minutes put the Panthers back up, 49-46, with 8:11 to go.
- USM didn't back down, regaining the lead, 59-58, with 4:35 on the clock.
- Bosse immediately responded with back-to-back baskets during a 10-4 run to go up 68-63 with 76 seconds to play.
- The Huskies cut the lead to one, 68-67, with 24 seconds left, but PSU knocked down clutch free throws to push ahead, 72-67.
- USM hit a three-pointer as time expired to account for the final score.
By the Numbers:
- Plymouth State shot 27-of-59 (45.8%) from the floor.
- The Panthers outrebounded USM, 31-28, and 8-3 on the offensive glass.
- Neither team led by more than seven points throughout the contest.
- PSU's bench outscored their counterparts, 20-11.
- The Panthers scored 20 points off turnovers.
- Plymouth State's last winning streak of at least five games can in the 2019-20 season when they won six in a row.
- The teams split the season series in a pair of tight matchups. The two games were decided by seven total points.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State heads home to face #25 UMass Dartmouth in LEC play. Tip-off for the Senior Day contest is 3:00 p.m.
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