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whelan vs UMD ball carrying
Eleanor Folsom, Athletic Communications Student Employee
89
Mass.-Dartmouth MASS.-DA 8-7, 2-4
95
Winner Southern Me. SOUTHERN 9-6, 4-2
Mass.-Dartmouth MASS.-DA
8-7, 2-4
89
Final
95
Southern Me. SOUTHERN
9-6, 4-2
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Mass.-Dartmouth MASS.-DA 36 53 89
Southern Me. SOUTHERN 42 53 95

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Christina Cracolici, Director of Athletic Communications

Huskies Win Third Straight Defeat UMass Dartmouth 95-89

GORHAM, Maine   -  Senior Thomas Whelan (Bronx, NY/Fordham Prep) led five scorers in double-figures with 28 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots as the University of Southern Maine Huskies won their third consecutive game defeating the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs 95-89 in Little East Conference men's basketball action Wednesday afternoon at Hill Gym.
 
Whelan was 12-for-18 from the field in the win.  Sophmore Evans Sterling (New Sharon, Maine/Mt. Blue) added 18 points, four rebounds and three assists, while sophomore Noah Dowling (North Narabeen, Australia/St. Augustine's) added 15 points and six boards.  Freshman Carter Galley (Owls Head, Maine/Oceanside) added 12 points off of the bench, while freshman Gabe Lash (Waldoboro, Maine/Medomak Valley) had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists.
 
Camden Dichiara led all scorers with 31 points on 10-of-19 shooting, knocking down 5-of-10 from three.  Danny Reyes added 17 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Ryan Flauto notched a double-double off of the bench with 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
 
The Records:
UMass Dartmouth (8-7, 2-4 Little East)
Southern Maine (9-6, 4-2 Little East )
 
Today's matchup marked the 89th meeting between the Corsairs and Huskies. UMass Dartmouth holds a 73-16 lead in the all-time series. The Huskies and Corsairs split the 2024-2025 series with Southern Maine winning at home 89-73. Southern Maine has won two of its last three meetings with UMD.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
  • Trailing 30-28 with just over five minutes to play in the first half following a three from UMass Darmouth's Dichiara, Southern Maine closed out the frame on a 14-6 run to take a 42-36 lead into the break. The Huskies were 6-for-8 from the field in the final five minutes of the first half and were led by five points each from Whelan and Dowling. 
  • USM's first half closing run proved to be critical as both sides scored 53 points in the second half. Whelan was outstanding in the first half scoring 17 of his 28 on 8-for-12 shooting, while Sterling had eight.
  • Lash had USM up eight early, 46-38, with a layup at the 18:25 mark but a dunk from UMD's Ryan Flauto, another three from Dichiara, and a layup from Reyes made it a one-possession game, 47-45, with 16:58 to go.
  • Over the next four minutes, USM outscored the Corsairs 15-8 and led by nine, 62-53, capped by a tradition three-point play from Sterling.  However, UMD battled back to within a possession, 64-61, with 10:02 on the clock with an 8-2 spurt led by six points from Reyes.
  • With its lead cut to a single possession, Southern Maine relied on timely scoring from senior Stephen Gabriel III (Brockton, Mass./Bridgton Academy) over the next 1:17 as the Huskies outscored the Corsairs 9-2 to open up a 73-63 advantage with 8:22 showing.  Gabriel III scored six of his eight points in the run, including an and-one play to give USM a 10-point lead.
  • The Corsairs pulled to within four points of the Huskies four times, and trailed 82-78 with 4:15 to go on a layup from Dichiara, but the Huskies scored five straight on two free throws from Dowling and a three from Galley to led by nine, 87-78 with just over three to play. USM led by as much as 11 late before the Corsairs closed to within four again, 93-89, on two free throws from Dichiara with a 9-2 run.  But with just 15 seconds left, USM's Whelan sank two free throws to put the game out of reach. 
 
Inside The Statistics:
  • Southern Maine shot 56.6 percent (39-for-69) from the field for the game, while UMD shot 45.2 percent (33-for-73). 
  • USM had a slim 37-26 lead in rebounds, but the Corsairs had a 13-9 advantage in offensive boards, scoring 21 second-chance points. 
  • With 28 points tonight, Whelan now has 1477 points, 408 rebounds, 202 assists and 114 steals in his 85-game career. His 1477 points are seventh all-time, while his 550 made field goals are ninth all-time. He is a career 51.84 percent shooter (550-1061).
 
Up Next:
Southern Maine hosts Eastern Connecticut on Saturday, January 17 (3:00 pm). The Huskies are then on the road for its next two contests at Plymouth State on Wednesday, January 21 (7:00 pm) and Saturday, January 24 (3:00 pm at WestConn.
           
 
-cac-
 
 
 
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