GORHAM, Maine  –  Senior Charles Mitchell (Boston, Mass./Boston Community Leadership Academy) scored a game-high 22 points to lead three players in double-figures at the UMass Boston Beacons defeated the University of Southern Maine Huskies 68-59 in a Little East Conference men's basketball game Wednesday night at Hill Gymnasium.
 
Mitchell scored eight of his 22 in the final nine minutes fo the second half as the Beacons held just a one possession, 47-45, with 8:28 to go.
 
The Records: 
UMass Boston (11-12, 7-8 Little East)
Southern Maine (9-15, 4-11 Little East)
 
Series History:  Tonight's game marked the 110th meeting between the two schools.  Southern Maine leads the series 65-45.  UMass Boston earned a 70-51 win over Southern Maine in January, and tonight's win gives the Beacons a season sweep.
 
Standout Huskies: Sophomore Simon Chadbourne (Westbrook, Maine) 20 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist; junior Marcus Christopher (Skowhegan, Maine) 13 points, 3 assists; junior Cody Hawes (Carmel, Maine/Hermon) 4 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block; sophomore Clay Kuhn (Orlando, Fla./Winter Park) 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals.
 
Standout Beacons: Senior Charles Mitchell (Boston, Mass./Boston Community Leadership Academy) 22 points, 5 reboudns, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block; junior Malik Lorquet (Sharon, Mass.) 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, 1 block; sophomore Michael Walsh (Marshfield, Mass.) 11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals.
 
How It Happened: 

• In a closely contested first half, with neither team holding more than a four point advantage, UMass Boston went into their locker room at the half up 31-29 as junior guard Tommy Burris (Dalton, Mass./Wahconah Regional) buried a short jumper in the paint on a feed from freshman Emanuel Zayas (Hollywood, Fla./McArthur) before time expired.
• UMB scored the first four points of the second half and outscored USM 11-5 in the first five minutes to open up a 42-36 lead 15:37 to play. Mitchell scored seven of the Beacons' opening 11 points in the stanza, including a driving layup for the eight point margin.
• Down by eight, USM rallied to within a possession, 42-40, on a three from sophomore Chance Dixon (Lake Worth, Fla./Santaluces) and a tradition three-point play from Christopher with 15 left.
• After a few empty possessions on either end, Lorquet made a tradition three-point play of his own to give UMB a 45-40 advantage with 11:34 to play.  Kuhn made a three for the Huskies at the 8:56 mark to make it a 47-45 game.
• Both team's battled back and forth and UMB remained in front.  A pair of free throws from USM sophomore Trevor Ward (West Park, Fla./McArthur) made it a 52-50 game with 5:22 on the clock, but the Beacons ran off six straight for a 58-50 lead with 3:54 to play.
• Chadbourne's three at 1:39 made it a two-possession game for the Huskies, trailing 60-56; however the Beacons scored the next five to lead 65-56 to seal the win.  USM's Christopher hit a three with 30 to play and UMB closed it out going 3-for-4 from the line for the 68-59 final.

Inside the Stats: 

• UMB shot 46.7 percent in the second half to outscore USM 37-30.  The Beacons were 14-for-30 from the field in the final half, and finished the game 27-for-67 overall. 
• The Beacons outscored USM 34-12 in the paint, and scored 27 of their 68 points off of USM turnovers. The Huskies had 28 miscues in the game.

 
Up Next: 
Southern Maine remains in Little East Conference and travels to Western Connecticut State University on Saturday (3:00 pm).
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