BOSTON, Mass. – After ending their regular season, with the most wins since the 2005-06 campaign, the Beacons now have their eyes set on winning the program's second conference title, as they travel to intra-state rival UMass Dartmouth tomorrow evening for a 7:30 p.m. Little East Conference Tournament Quarterfinal Game in the Tripp Athletic Center.
GAME COVERAGE
Live Stats/Video - http://portal.stretchinternet.com/umassd/
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
January 20 – at UMass Dartmouth, L 75-85 (Benabicha 27 pts l Joseph 7 rebs)
February 11 – vs. UMass Dartmouth, W 79-75 (Ulysse/Agenor 18 pts l Agenor 19 rebs)
THE MATCH-UP
The Beacons (14-11, 6-8 Little East) and the Corsairs (13-12, 9-5 Little East) will be meeting in the playoffs for the first time since the 2008-09 season. UMass Dartmouth won that contest 79-63. All-time the Beacons are 0-4 in tournament appearances when they face the Corsairs. The first meeting took place in 1991 when UMass Dartmouth was still Southeastern Massachusetts University. That season, the Beacons fell in the semi-final round (73-75).
The next meeting would take place in the 1997 conference championship with the Corsairs earning the title following a close 69-66 decision. In the 2002-03 quarterfinal round game, UMass Dartmouth would hand the Beacons an 88-78 defeat to improve to 3-0 all-time in the postseason. Their last meeting occurred in the 2008 tournament, with the Corsairs earning a 131-63 decision.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
The 2014-15 season, had its fair share of ups-and-downs, but the Beacons managed to rally in the final month of play to earn the sixth-seed in this year's conference tournament. The Beacons head into the postseason riding a four-game win-streak, with one of those victories coming over the Corsairs (79-75).
On the year, the Beacons compiled an overall record of 14 victories, which stands as the fourth-most wins in school history. This season ranks as the Beacons first winning campaign since winning their first title in 2006, and the sixth-most successful season under head coach Charlie Titus.
SCOUTING THE BEACONS
In the final season with Charlie Titus as their head coach, the Beacons have looked to a talented mix of veteran players. Led by two-time Little East Conference selection Carl Joseph (Brockton, Mass.), the Beacons have seen production from a variety of players this season. Going into this final tournament, Joseph is one of four players averaging over 11 points per game. His 17.7 ranks him in the top-3 in the conference. Behind him Gregory Young (Dorchester, Mass.) has 13.9 points, while junior transfer Karl Agenor (Dorchester, Mass.) currently boasts the team's only double-double of 11.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Senior Luc Ulysse (Brooklyn, N.Y.) rounds out the Beacons top-4 scorers with his 11.1 points per game.
For Agenor his first season as a Beacons, has seen the Dorchester native rank in the top-2 in the Little East Conference all season long. He enters this year's tournament with a team-leading eight double-doubles, one of-which he recorded in the February 11 win over the Corsairs (18 pts, 19 rebs).
SCOUTING THE CORSAIRS
UMass Dartmouth will look to their conference leading scorer Jordan Rezendes, who on Saturday set a new single-game record at UMD with 51 points. The conference's leading scorer for almost the entire season, Rezendes is averaging 22.8 points per game, with the closest scorer after him (Jake Laga) averaging just under 13 ppg.
On the glass, 6'7" Wale Abraham has been the Corsairs go-to guy with his 9.0 rebounds per game. He also leads the team in blocks with three per game, and is averaging just under 11 points per game.
The Corsairs closed out the regular season, ranked third in the conference in scoring with their 78.8 points per game. They have emerged as the conference's top team at the line (73.0%), and from the field (45.3%). From behind the arc, the Corsairs sit third overall (32.5%), while they also sit second in assist/turnover ratio with a 1.0.
THE COACHES
Tomorrow's contest will mark the final meeting between two of the three most tenured coaches in the history of the Little East Conference. Between head coach Charlie Titus as the Corsairs Brian Baptiste the two leaders have a combined 51 years of experience at their respective institutions. Baptiste, currently sits in his 32nd year with UMass Dartmouth, and has led the Corsairs to the NCAA Division III "Final Four", and has compiled 579 wins, which ranks him in the top-7 all-time in Division III men's basketball history.
DOWN THE ROAD
The winner of Tuesday's contest, will face the winner of the No. 2 (Rhode Island College) vs. No. 7 (Plymouth State University) match-up on Friday at the highest remaining seed in the semi-final round of the tournament.
