BOSTON, Mass. – After a very sluggish first half, men's basketball (7-2) came alive in the second and jumped on the backs of Gregory Young (Dorchester, Mass.), Carl Joseph (Brockton, Mass.), and Karl Agenor (Dorchester, Mass.) as they earned a 97-85 non-conference win over Pine Manor College (4-4) Thursday evening in the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium.

The Beacons "Big 3" each record 21 or more points, and finished with a combined 39 boards respectively.  Joseph, who was held to just four points in the first half, due to early foul trouble, ended the game with 23 points.  Young, had one of his most complete games scoring a game-high 25 points, to go along with 16 boards for a strong double-double.

However it was the dominant play by Agenor, especially in the second half that proved to be the deciding factor in the win.  The Dorchester native ripped down a game-high 17 rebounds, to go along with 21 points, 13 of which were scored over the final 20 minutes of play. 

For the Gators, Chancie Williams dropped in 22 points, while Curtis Hyman finished with 12 boards and nine points.

Thursday's contest, which marked the first-ever between the two programs, got off to a rocky start with the two teams scoring just eight points through the five minutes.  The Beacons did manage to build some momentum around the midway point of the opening half, as they jumped out to an 11 point lead (18-7).

Unfortunately, that lead did not last as the Gators took a huge bite out of the deficit, and cut the lead to three with 7:48 to play following an 11-3 run.  The Beacons did manage to keep control of the scoreboard, even with the Gators right on their heels.  They would eventually go into the halftime break with a 41-38 lead.

The opening minutes of the second half, were also a struggle for the Beacons as Pine Manor made it a one-point game on an opening jumper by Hyman.  Joseph managed to get the lead back to three, but he was quickly countered by a lay-up from Brannon Shaw.

UMass would then go on a 12-0 run to make it 55-42 with 14:36 left in the contest.  The Gators would take another solid bite out of the deficit, but before they could take their first lead of the night, the Beacons found their rhythm and quickly went to the fast paced play that has made them so successful this season.

Pine Manor managed to get the Beacons lead back to single digits one last time at 10:17, but with a Joseph dunk UMass erupted offensively.  In less three minutes, the Beacons outscored the Gators 14-2 to earn their biggest lead of the night, 19 points (81-62).

Even with the large deficit Pine Manor did not go down easy as they continued to battle back.  They would make it an 11-point affair with 2:52 left in the contest, thanks in part to multiple baskets by Williams, who found his shot in the closing minutes.

Luckily for the Beacons they managed to hold off the now charging Gators with some last minute lay-ups by Joseph.

On the night the Beacons shot 44.9% from the field (35-78), while the Gators shot 39.2% overall (31-79).  The Beacons held a 59-34 advantage on the glass, but struggled to maintain possession of the ball having turned it over a total of 23 times.  However the Beacons continued to play their unselfish team basketball as they combined for 25 assists, 10 of which belonged to Omar Benabicha (Saugus, Mass.), a career-best for the junior guard. 

Senior Luc Ulysse (Brooklyn, N.Y.) finished with 15 points and eight rebounds to help cap off the Beacons victory.

UMass Boston returns to action on Saturday when they host Rhode Island College at 3 p.m. in a Little East Conference game.