PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior Kevin Henry (Stratham, N.H.) topped the 20-point threshold for the third time in four games, finishing with a game-high 28 points as Plymouth State University handled the University of Massachusetts Boston, 85-70, in Little East Conference (LEC) men's basketball action at Foley Gymnasium on Thursday night.
 
Henry poured in 28 points while shooting 10-of-15 from the field and grabbing eight rebounds. He added a pair of steals and three assists to his stat line as PSU shot a sizzling 57.6% in the first half. Henry's jumper capped an 11-2 spurt as PSU raced out to a 22-10 lead and the Panthers led by as many as 19 in the first half.
 
UMass Boston whittled the advantage down to ten, 49-39, over the first five minutes of the second half, but sophomore Ivan Yen (Concord, N.H.) connected from distance and PSU would explode for a 16-4 surge to make it 65-43 with 8:35 left on the clock. The Beacons attempted to rally, but Plymouth State would maintain a comfortable lead the rest of the way to secure a second straight impressive conference win.
 
Plymouth State improves to 9-5 (3-3 LEC), while the Beacons slip to 7-8 (2-5 LEC).
 
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 85, UMass Boston 70
  • Plymouth State (9-5, 3-3 LEC)
  • UMass Boston (7-8, 2-5 LEC)

Top Performers:

• Plymouth State
  • Kevin Henry (28 pts, 10-15 fg, 8 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl)
  • Torran Bosworth (14 pts, 2 ast)
  • Jayden Montgomery (5 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast, 4 blk, 3 stl)
  • Eli Pockette (11 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl)

How it Happened:

• Senior Elijah Swanson (Meredith, N.H.) drilled a three off a Henry steal to open the scoreline and the Panthers never looked back, as PSU led from wire-to-wire.
• PSU's largest lead of the first came when senior Kevin Newton-Delgado (Hopkinton, N.H.) knocked down his first three-pointer to make it 45-26 just before halftime.
• UMass Boston upped the pressure to start the second half, cutting the deficit down to ten, 49-39, with 14:56 left on the clock, but Yen buried a three and PSU responded with a 16-4 run to seize complete control.
• The lead ballooned to 22, 65-43, following a Henry triple and back-to-back buckets from freshman Will Mollica (Stratham, N.H.).
• Plymouth State would carry the double-digit lead through the final horn, with the Panthers knocking down all six attempts from the charity stripe over the final 90 seconds to seal the league win.

By the Numbers:

• Henry topped the 20-point mark for the sixth time this season.
• Plymouth State shot at an efficient 51.6% clip and went 7-of-17 from deep (41.2%), while limiting UMass Boston to 29.4% from beyond the arc.
• PSU held a slight edge on points in the paint, 40-36.
• The Panthers outrebounded UMass Boston by a narrow, 39-34 margin.
• Sophomore Jayden Montgomery (Nashua, N.H.) was all over the court with seven rebounds, five assists, four blocks and three steals.
• Plymouth State leads the series 54-27 but had dropped each of the last four meetings. Both of last year's games were decided by just two points.

Up Next:

• The Panthers head to Eastern Connecticut State on Saturday (Jan. 18) for a 1:00 p.m. tipoff with the Warriors.

 
 
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