GORHAM, Maine – Sophomore
Brady Hulland (Amston, Conn.) poured in a career-high 23 points and Plymouth State University reached the century mark for the second time this season, but the University of Southern Maine made 15 three-pointers and shot 53.8% from the field in a 120-100 win over the Panthers in Little East Conference (LEC) men's basketball action at Warren G. Hill Gymnasium on Wednesday night.
Senior
Yansel Reyes (Manchester, N.H.) had 12 points and five rebounds in the first half, with his three-pointer giving the Panthers a 30-23 lead midway through the first half. The Huskies flipped the switch from there, using a 30-11 run to close the half with a 53-41 advantage.
Hulland had five points early in the second half to help PSU get within 61-52, but the hosts responded with a 28-9 surge over the next six minutes to seize control. The Panthers attempted to rally, but Southern Maine continued to knock down shots to close it out.
Hulland poured in 17 of his 23 points in the second half on 5-of-8 shooting. Senior
Torran Bosworth (Springfield, Mass.) also came up big out of the break, with 12 of his 19 points coming on 5-of-7 shooting in the second half.
Reyes finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, while freshman
Jordan Gunthrop (Naugatuck, Conn.) scored a career-high 11 points.
Plymouth State falls to 6-16 (2-11 LEC), while the Huskies move to 14-9 (9-5 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 100, Southern Maine 120
- Plymouth State (6-16, 2-11 LEC)
- Southern Maine (14-9, 9-5 LEC)
Top Performers:
- Plymouth State
- Brady Hulland (23 pts, 8-14 fg, 2-4 3pt, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl)
- Torran Bosworth (19 pts, 8-14 fg, 4 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl)
- Yansel Reyes (18 pts, 7 reb)
- Jordan Gunthrop (11 pts, 4-8 fg, 3-3 3pt, 2 reb, 2 ast)
How it Happened:
- Things went back-and-forth over the first few minutes, with Hulland's layup giving PSU a slight 8-6 edge after four minutes.
- Gunthrop and Reyes connected from distance on consecutive possessions and another Reyes triple gave the Panthers their biggest lead, 30-23, with just over nine minutes left in the first half.
- Southern Maine heated up from there, outscoring PSU by a 30-11 margin to take a 53-41 lead into halftime.
- Hulland had five early points and back-to-back Bosworth buckets cut the deficit to 61-52 three minutes into the second half.
- USM answered with eight straight points to regain control. Bosworth scored inside to make it 69-54, but that was as close as the Panthers would get as the hosts closed out the win.
By the Numbers:
- Hulland reached double figures for the 11th time this season and surpassed the 20-point mark for the first time.
- Plymouth State shot a respectable 11-for-34 (32.4%) from distance, though the Huskies went 15-for-37 (40.5%) from beyond the arc.
- The Panthers shot 13-for-16 from the free throw line. All 16 attempts came in the second half. Southern Maine was 21-for-26 from the charity stripe.
- Points in the paint were even at 44-44.
- The win gave Southern Maine the season sweep for the fourth straight year.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State returns home for a Senior Day matchup with UMass Boston on Saturday (Feb. 14) at 2 p.m.
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