Box Score GORHAM, Maine – Junior Zach Leal (York, Maine) scored a game-high 23 points to lead five players in double figures as the University of Southern Maine Huskies led wire-to-wire and defeated the Rhode Island College Anchormen 78-69 in a Little East Conference men's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Fifield Court.
Earning its second straight win, Southern Maine improves to 14-9 overall and 8-4 in the Little East. The Huskies are currently in second place in the Little East Conference and are in position to host a LEC quarterfinal game on Tuesday, February 23. Rhode Island College suffers its fourth straight loss to dip to 4-19 overall and 4-8 in the LEC.
Leal was 8-for-10 from the field and 5-for-8 from the free throw line as the Huskies' used a balanced effort to earn the win. Junior Atencio Martin (Kittery, Maine/Traip Academy) had 14 points and eight rebounds, while senior Jose Nouchanthavong (Westbrook, Maine) tossed in 13 points to go along with seven rebounds, four assists and four steals. Seniors Cole Libby (Buxton, Maine/Bonny Eagle) and Aaron Toman (Gardiner, Maine) scored 11 and 10 points respectively.
Freshman Jimmy Fritzson (Sharon, Mass./Vermont Academy) led RIC with 15 point and seven rebounds. Freshman Justin Campbell (New Haven, Conn./Hill Regional) added 14 points and six rebounds, while classmate Gianni Carwin (Stamford, Conn.) and junior Terrance Tribble (White Plains, N.Y./Valhalla) each scored 12 points. Junior Alex Cruz (East Harford, Conn.) led RIC with 10 rebounds and had six points.
Holding a modest 23-18 lead over RIC with 5:44 remaining in the first, Southern Maine outscored the Anchormen 14-6 to close out the half, taking a 37-24 lead at the break. Four different players scored for USM in the final five minutes of the half, led by six points from Nouchanthavong.
RIC opened the second with a 9-3 run, capped by back-to-back layups from sophomore Malcolm Smith (Old Orchard Beach, Maine/St. Andrews), to cut the USM lead to 40-33 with 17:12 to play, but the Huskies responded with a 12-2 run over the next four minutes to open up a 52-35 lead.
Nouchanthavong scored five points in the run, including a three off of a steal from Leal with 12:54 on the clock to make it a 17-point advantage for USM. Leal, Toman, and Libby also scored for the Huskies.
USM remained comfortably in front of RIC for a majority of the second half and held a solid 65-51 lead with 4:24 remaining in regulation following a three-pointer from Toman, but RIC continued to fight and made it a two-possession game, 66-61, with 2:25 to go. Following Toman's three, RIC outscored USM 10-1, sparked by back-to-back threes from Smith and capped by back-to-back buckets from Fritzon.
With his team's lead cut to just five points, Libby came up big for the Huskies in their next possession hitting a three to make it 69-61 with 2:10 on the clock. From there, both teams traded scores with each other and USM held for the 78-69 win.
Southern Maine hosts Plymouth State on Wednesday (7:30 p.m.) in a Little East Conference match-up. The Huskies will honor seniors Libby, Nouchanthavong, Ben Jackson, Mitch Loeman and Toman. Rhode Island College hosts Western Connecticut on Wednesday (7:30 p.m.).
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