BOSTON, Mass. – Led by Curtis Arsenault's team-high 18 points, the Panthers of Plymouth State University earned a 70-59 Little East Conference win over men's basketball Wednesday evening in the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium.

THE BASICS

UMass Boston 59, Plymouth State University 70

UMass Boston (5-9, 1-3 Little East Conference)
Plymouth State University (12-3, 3-1 Little East Conference)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Another slow start for the Beacons allowed the Panthers to jump out to a commanding lead in the first 10 minutes of Wednesday's contest.  Struggling to build any type of momentum, the Beacons were held to single-digits for the first 13 minutes of the first half.  During that time, the Panthers, who were red-hot offensively, found themselves in control of an 18-point lead with 8:35 left until the intermission.

The Panthers, shot a combined 51.7% (15-29) from the field, and were led by Brian Boulay's 10 points.  Arsenault contributed nine points in the first 20 minutes of play, as he was 3-for-4 from the field, and 3-for-3 at the line.  The Panthers also dominated the glass as they outrebounded the Beacons 20-8.

After the break, which saw Plymouth State leading 38-24, the Beacons finally came to life.  They would immediately erase the double-figure deficit in the first five minutes of the new half.  With 14:38 to play in the contest, Maurice Magras (Medford, Mass.) nailed his second 3-pointer of the frame to make it a seven point game (43-36). 

Plymouth State did manage to handle the Beacons early surge, and never let their lead get to less than six, which it did when Dan Powers (Westwood, Mass.) struck from distance to make it 45-39.  Plymouth State would counter the Beacons energy with a quick 10-2 run to gain some breathing room on the scoreboard. 

They would keep that double-digit lead in check for the remainder of the contest, as they secured the conference win.

Despite a tough first half, the Beacons did manage to shot 42% from the field, and an even more impressive 52.9% from 3-point range.  Unfortunately, the Panthers could not be stopped offensively, as they shot 56.0% on the night. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• All-time Plymouth State leads the series with the Beacons 47-20
• Wednesday's loss ended a two-game win streak for the Beacons over the Panthers
• The Panthers have now won just three of their last seven meetings with UMass Boston
• On the night the Panthers held a 34-23 advantage on the glass
• Four players finished in double-figures for Plymouth State
• Sam Freeman (Boston, Mass.) finished with three of the Beacons five blocks

WHO'S NEXT

The Beacons will travel to Eastern Connecticut State University on Saturday for a 3 p.m. conference game.