DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The Plymouth State University men's basketball team fell to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 85-76, in a Little East Conference (LEC) game at the Tripp Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Panthers saw four-of-five starters reach double-figures in a well-rounded attack. UMass Dartmouth led by as many as 19 points at one point, but Plymouth State chipped away. The Panthers whittled the lead down to single digits but were unable to press long enough to complete the comeback.
 
Junior Christian Barr (Henniker, N.H.) led the Panthers with 18 points, while freshman Maxwell Galbraith (Hanover, N.H.) and graduate student Tom Johnson (Warner, N.H.) each scored 14 points of their own. Junior Alex Dean (Reading, Mass.) rounded out the Plymouth State scoring with 11 points.
 
Plymouth State falls to 9-15 (2-13 LEC) on the season, while the Corsairs move to 7-16 and 6-8 in the LEC.
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 76, UMass Dartmouth 85
  • Plymouth State (9-15, 2-13 LEC)
  • UMass Dartmouth (7-16, 6-8 LEC)

Top Performers:

• Christian Barr (18 pts, 3-8 3pt, 9 reb)
• Maxwell Galbraith (14 pts, 5-10 fg, 4-9 3pt)
• Tom Johnson (14 pts, 5-11 fg)
• Alex Dean (11 pts, 4-4 fg, 1-1 3pt)

How it Happened:

• The teams traded buckets to open the contest knotted at 16-16 with 13:30 to play in the first half.
• A 12-0 run by the Corsairs gave them the lead, 37-26, with 3:20 to go until halftime.
• Johnson hit a jumper as time expired to cut the deficit to 43-32 at the break.
• The Panthers were held to one field goal in the first seven minutes of the second half as UMD opened up a 56-38 lead with 13:04 to go.
• Plymouth State went on a late tear, scoring 11 straight points to get within eight, 76-68, with 2:17 left in regulation.
• The Corsairs knocked down seven free throws in the final minutes to stave off the PSU comeback attempt.

By the Numbers:

• Plymouth State went 27-of-62 (43.5%) from the floor, and 9-of-24 (37.5%) from three.
• Both teams hauled down 38 rebounds, but the Corsairs had a 9-8 edge on the offensive glass.
• The Panthers had a season high 47 bench points, as the PSU reserves outscored their counterparts by a 47-14 margin.
• The teams combined for 37 fastbreak points.
• UMass Dartmouth has won each of the last four matchups.

 
Up Next:

• Plymouth State celebrates its Senior Day next Saturday (Feb. 18) when it welcomes Rhode Island College to Foley Gymnasium for a 3:00 p.m. contest.

 
 
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