Box Score GORHAM, Maine – Freshman forward Wale Abraham (Lynn, Mass./Lynn Classical) scored a game-high 20 points — including six points in a late 12-3 run — and tied a team-high in rebounds with eight to lead the the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Corsairs men's basketball team past the University of Southern Maine Huskies 82-74 in a Little east Conference matchup at Hill Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.
With the win, the Corsairs improve to 5-20 overall and 2-12 in the conference. Southern Maine drops to 14-11 overall and 8-6 in conference play.
With the game tied 67-67 with 6:39 remaining, Abraham hit two jumpers and made a layup to highlight UMass Dartmouth's 12-3 run, giving them a commanding 79-70 lead with 1:11 to play. The Huskies cut the Corsairs lead to 79-74 on a layup from senior guard Mike Poulin (Readfield, Maine/Maranacook) and a jumper from junior forward James Odneal (Pontiac, Mich./Bottineau). USM was forced to foul, and UMD freshman guard Jacek Louisville (Worcester, Mass./Holy Name) hit three of his four free throws in the last 33 seconds to secure the 82-74 win.
In a game that featured 23 lead changes, the largest lead was five points. UMass Dartmouth took an early 7-2 lead, but the Huskies clawed their way back to take an 8-7 lead and go ahead by as many as four points, 32-28, with 3:27 remaining in the first half. The Corsairs took a 41-36 lead on a three-pointer by junior guard John Genkos (Worcester, Mass./Doherty), but USM sophomore forward Tyler Penney (Barnstead, N.H./Bishop Brady) made a layup and two free throws to cut the lead to 41-40 heading into the half. Southern Maine junior guard Conor Sullivan (Scarborough, Maine) led all scorers with 10 points at the half.
The Huskies went ahead 42-41 early in the second half on a jumper by Sullivan, and went ahead by as many as five points, 59-54, with 11:56 to play before UMD went on it's 12-3 run. Sullivan finished with 19 points, five rebounds, and two blocks to lead Southern Maine. Senior guard Alex Kee (Bath, Maine/Morse) and Poulin each had 10 points, while Kee had four assists and three steals. Senior forward Sean Bergeron (Kennebunk, Maine), Odneal, and freshman guard Cole Libby (Buxton, Maine/Bonny Eagle) each scored seven points, and senior guard Brian Alexander (Bradenton, FL/Southeast) had six points and a team-high five assists. Penney added six points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Corsairs' sophomore guard Mike Rotando (Point Pleasant Beach, NJ) had 14 points on 3-for-9 shooting from the field and a 6-for-7 mark from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Jake Laga (Northhampton, Mass.) added 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc, while Genkos chipped in with 10 points and eight rebounds.
In the upcoming Little East Conference tournament, No. 4 Southern Maine will host No. 5 University of Massachusetts Boston in a quarterfinal matchup at Hill Gym Tuesday (7:30). UMass Dartmouth will enter the tournament as the No. 8 seed and will travel to regular season champion and No. 1 Rhode Island College for its quarterfinal game Tuesday (7:00 p.m.).
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