WILLAMANTIC, Conn. – Jake Collagan scored 23 of his 25 points in the first half as the Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors cruised to a 90-53 win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a Little East Conference men's basketball game Thursday night at Geissler Gymnasium. 

            Southern Maine is now 4-9 overall and 2-4 in the Little East Conference with the loss. Eastern Connecticut earned its third straight win and improves to 11-3 overall and 5-1 in the Little East.  The Warriors are 5-0 at home this season.  

            Collagan was 7-for-9 from the field to lead four Warriors in double figures, adding five rebounds.  Leonel Hyatt was 7-for-7 for 17 points, and Cory Muckle tossed in 14. Seth Thomas had 10 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.  The Warriors shot 49.1 (27-for-55) percent from the field for the game. 

            Junior Jayvon Pitts-Young (Portland, Maine) led the Huskies with 20 points, six rebounds, three steals and an assist. Senior Christian McCue (Hampden, Maine/Hampden Academy) added 16 points.  Senior Sean Jany (Westbrook, Maine) led Southern Maine with seven rebounds. 

            Trailing by a possession 8-5 early in the half after a layup from Pitts-Young, Southern Maine fell behind by 28 points as the Warriors rattled off a 33-8 run to take a commanding 41-13 lead with 5:43 left in the half.  Collagan scored 13 of the Warriors' 33 points in the run.  The Warriors to a 50-25 lead into the halftime break.  

            The Huskies opened with a 9-4 run in the second half to cut their deficit to 20 points, but Eastern scored the next five points to snag a 59-34 lead with 17:11 to play and then rolled to the win. Eastern knocked down 11 three pointers in the game and went 25-for-34 from the free throw line.  Collagan was 7-for-7 from the free throw line, while Muckle was 6-for-6.  

            Southern Maine returns to action on Wednesday (7:30 p.m.) when it hosts UMass Boston in a Little East Conference game.  

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