PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Plymouth State University men's basketball team found defeat to the hands of the University of Southern Maine Huskies, 64-59, in a Little East Conference (LEC) matchup in Foley Gymnasium Wednesday night.
 
Senior Kevin Henry (Stratham, N.H.) scored 20 points and now, with one game left on the schedule, sits 17 points away from becoming the 36th men's basketball player to score his 1,000th career point.
 
Senior Kevin Newton-Delgado (Hopkinton, N.H.) put forth a strong effort, shooting 6-of-8 from the floor while going 4-of-4 at the free throw line. He was the only other player to reach double-digits with 16 points in the losing effort for the Panthers
 
Plymouth State dips to 11-13 (4-11 LEC), while the Huskies improve to 11-13 (7-8 LEC). The Panthers will close out their season this Saturday at home against LEC opponent Eastern Connecticut.
 
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 59, Southern Maine 64
  • Plymouth State (11-13, 4-11 LEC)
  • Southern Maine (11-13, 7-8 LEC)

Top Performers:

• Plymouth State
  • Kevin Henry (20 pts, 5 reb, 3 stl)
  • Kevin Newton-Delgado (16 pts, 6-8 fg, 4-4 ft, 6 reb, 4 stl)
  • Ivan Yen (7 pts, 3-7 fg)
  • Elijah Swanson (6 pts, 4 ast)

How it Happened:

• The Huskies opened on an 8-2 run in the first three minutes of play.
• USM took its first double-digit lead of the evening (14-4) with 14:29 on the clock in the first half.
• The Panthers clawed back, cutting the deficit to one point (24-23) with 5:17 to play in the first half.
• It remained a one-possession game until USM knocked down a shot from distance as time expired to take a 37-32 lead into the locker room.
• PSU took its first lead of the contest as Newton-Delgado knocked down two free throws to give the Panthers a 45-44 edge with 14:22 left in regulation.
• The Panthers registered their seventh foul of the second half with 12:49 on the clock, giving the Huskies shots from the charity stripe for the remainder of the contest.
• Plymouth State jolted into an 11-0 run to take a 51-44 lead at the 10:52 mark in the second.
• The Huskies responded with a 13-2 run of their own to regain momentum and take a 57-53 lead, forcing a Plymouth State timeout with 6:15 remaining.
• It remained a four-point game (61-57) with a minute to play. After a missed three-pointer, the Huskies hustled for the offensive rebound, forcing the Panthers to foul with 42 seconds to go.
• Henry converted two free throws to bring the match to 62-59 with 30 seconds remaining. The Panthers' press forced a near-turnover, but PSU was ruled out of bounds with possession as USM got the ball back.
• The Huskies sealed the game with two last second free throws.

By the Numbers:

• Plymouth State took 23 more field goal attempts than the Huskies (74 to 51).
• The Huskies were an impressive 7-of-15 from the three-point line (46.7%), while PSU went 1-of-16.
• The Panthers were 10-of-11 from the free throw line.
• USM outrebounded the Plymouth State, 47-36.
• PSU forced 24 turnovers while giving up just ten.
• Points in the paint went to Plymouth State, 36-28.
• Henry sits at 983 career points with one regular season game to go.
• The Huskies have won each of the last six matchups, but the Panthers still hold a 45-39 edge in the head-to-head dating back to the 1986-97 season.

 
Up Next:

• The Panthers will end the season at home against Eastern Connecticut on Saturday (Feb. 22). Senior Day ceremonies will precede the 2:30 p.m. tipoff.

 
 
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