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            BOSTON -- Junior guard Isaac Jenkins (Pordenone, Italy/Savio Prep) sank a three-pointer as time expired as the University of Massachusetts Boston came from behind to defeat the University of Southern Maine, 76-75, in a Little East Conference men's basketball game Tuesday night at the Clark Athletic Center.

            With their second win in the last three games, the Beacons improved to 8-10 overall and 2-6 in the Little East.  The Huskies fell to 9-9 overall and 1-7 in the conference.

            Jenkins led the Beacons to the victory with a game-high 26 points off the bench, shooting a solid 8-for-14 from the field and 8-for-11 from the free throw line.  Junior guard Michael Mitchell (Boston, Mass./Wayland) added 18 points, while senior forward Pat Joseph (Queens, N.Y./Spring-field Gardens) chipped in with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

            Southern Maine senior guard Devin Chambers (Memphis, Tenn./Oak Hill Academy) was  8-for-9 from the field en route to a career-high 20 points.  Junior forward Sean Bergeron (Kennebunk, Maine) notched a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and senior forward Otis Smith (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Ocoee) tossed in 13 points and five rebounds. 

            Ahead by five, 40-35, at the half, Southern Maine opened the second half on an 8-0 run to grab its largest lead of the game, 48-35, with 18:30 to play.  Bergeron scored all eight points with a pair of threes and a layup.

            Trailing by 13, the Beacons outscored the Huskies, 16-4, over the next eight and a half minutes to pull to within a point, 52-51, with 10:03 to play.  Mitchell scored eight points and had three assists in the run.

            With the result now up in the air, the teams battled back and forth with the lead switching hands and pulling even twice over the next six minutes.  Back-to-back layups by Chambers gave USM a 71-66 lead with 3:50 to play.  The Huskies maintained their five-point advantage, 72-67, on a free throw from Bergeron with 1:24 to play, but the Beacons outscored the Huskies, 9-3, down the stretch to pull out the win. 

            Following Bergeron's free throw, Mitchell was awarded three free throws, making all three, to pull the Beacons to within two, 72-70.  A pair of free throws from junior guard Mike Poulin (Readfield, Maine/Maranacook) gave USM a 74-70 cushion, but the Beacons nailed a pair of three-pointers around one Husky free throw for the 76-75 win.

            Southern Maine faces Little East Conference host Little East Conference rival Keene State College on Saturday (3:00 p.m.).  UMass Boston travels to Rhode Island College on Saturday (3:00 p.m.).

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