UMass Dartmouth Men's Basketball Wins Their First LEC Contest
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth men's basketball team opened up conference play 1-0 with a 78-71 win over Eastern Connecticut State University on Wednesday night.
The Corsairs advance to 2-5 overall and start their conference schedule with a 1-0 record. Meanwhile the Warriors fall to 2-7 and are now 0-2 in the Little East Conference.
Leading the way for UMassD was fifth year player Dhalyn Sanders-Dyer, who caught fire in the second half. Sanders-Dyer led the game with 24 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and two steals. He also shot 4-9 (44.4%) from beyond the arc. Other large contributors for the Corsairs were junior Isaac Percy (15 pts.) and senior Jackson Zancan (11 pts.). Senior John Martins Jr. added valuable minutes off the bench with 12 points on 4-4 from the field. His only miss on the night was just one of his three free throw attempts.
The leading scorer for East Conn with 20 points was senior Jalen Williams, who sat on the bench for a large portion of the game due to foul trouble. Another notable performer for the Warriors was senior Rakesh Tibby with 16 points of the bench.
UMass Dartmouth led a balanced attack in the first half and got off to an early lead. Coach Brian Baptiste took his squad into the locker room with a 39-27 advantage. East Conn actually had a better second half, winning the frame 44-39, but that would not be enough to take the lead back from the Corsairs at any point in the second half.
One of the big difference-makers in this contest was the rebounding differential, where the Corsairs had a 40-30 advantage over the Warriors. UMass Dartmouth also dominated the game from behind the arc, shooting an impressive 50.0% as a team from range. It was a completely different story for Eastern Connecticut, who struggled with a 31.6% night.
The 78-71 victory was much needed for the Corsairs, who came away with their first win since their very first game this season. They now sit at 1-0 in the Little East.
UMass Dartmouth has a short break before going back on the road to face Plymouth State on December 17.The Saturday contest will tip-off at 3 PM.
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