Box Score DANBURY, Conn. – All five starters scored in double figures as the Western Connecticut State University Colonials defeated the University of Southern Maine Huskies 83-75 in a Little East Conference men's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Feldman Arena.
With the win, Western Connecticut improves to 11-5 overall and 4-3 in the Little East. Southern Maine drops its eighth straight game to slip to 5-12 overall and 1-6 in the conference.
Tony Seldon was 6-for-9 from the field for a team-high 16 points, while Bobby Bynum added in 13 points and five assists for the Colonials. Joseph Groski, Jeremiah Washington and Ronnie Underwood each scored 11 points, while Groski notched a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds, including six offensive boards.
Sophomore Jacob Littlefield (Mechanic Falls, Maine/Poland) scored a career-high 16 points for the Huskies in a strong performance off of the bench. Littlefield was 7-for-13 from the field, adding a team-high nine rebounds. Senior James Odneal (Pontiac, Mich.) added 11 points, five rebounds and four steals, while senior Tyler Penney (Barnstead, N.H./Bishop Brady) and sophomore Sean Caddigan (Bethel, Maine/Telstar) each chipped in with 10 points.
The Colonials used a strong opening half to grab a 20-point, 48-28, lead at the break to set up the victory. Western took an early 5-2 lead after one minute of play, and stretched that advantage to 16-5 after a Bynum three-pointer with 15 minutes remaining in the first half. A traditional 3-point play by Washington with five minutes left in the half lifted the Colonials to a 17-point lead, 36-19, and layup by Washington a minute later gave Western a 40-20 lead. A pair of Underwood three throws gave Western its largest lead of the half at 21 points, 47-26. A Southern Maine layup and a free throw by sophomore Phil Starks (Bloomfield, CT) closed out the first half scoring with Western leading 48-28.
Western expanded its lead to 24 points early in the second half when a Seldon three-pointer made the score 54-30. Western's lead was still hovering around the 20-point mark midway through the period, when Southern Maine started to chip away at the lead. With eight minutes left, a Caddigan three cut the lead to 15 points, 69-54, and with three minutes to play, Southern Maine had closed the gap to 10 points. A Littlefield three-pointer with 31 seconds remaining made the score 80-75, but the Colonials scored the game's final three points for an 83-75 win.
For the game, Southern Maine held a 51-42 advantage in rebounds, while Western had the edge in assists, 15-13. Western finished shooting 44.3 percent from the floor and 61.1 percent from the line, while Southern Maine hit 35.8 percent and 63.9 percent, respectively.
Southern Maine hosts UMass Boston and Western Connecticut hosts Eastern Connecticut on Tuesday in Little East Conference contests. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.
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