BOSTON, Mass. – Led by a double-double from Dasan Cinelli (Boston, Mass.), and a game-high 18 points by Michael Boyd (Malden, Mass.), men's basketball opened their 2017-18 season with a 66-52 non-conference win over Norwich University Thursday evening at the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium.

THE BASICS

UMass Boston 66, Norwich University 52

UMass Boston (1-0)
Norwich University (0-1)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Featuring one of the youngest rosters in New England, the Beacons played a solid game from start-to-finish.  Cinelli, kick-started his sophomore season with an impressive 14 points and 13 rebound night for the Beacons.  Boyd, was red-hot in his collegiate debut with 18 points, six boards, three steals, and three assists.  The Malden native finished 7-for-15 from the floor, and 4-for-8 from 3-point land.

The Beacons, who faced a veteran team in the Cadets, trailed only five times through the first 13-minutes of the season-opener.  Norwich stepped on the floor with three of their starting five from a season ago. 

UMass Boston took firm control of the contest with 4:12 left before the halftime break, when Boyd drained a deep 3-pointer off-of a Charlie Mitchell (Boston, Mass.) pass.  A lay-up by Kevin Louis-Jean (Hyde Park, Mass.) made it a seven-point game, but after a jumper by Daniel Holmes cut the deficit back to five, the Beacons took their biggest lead of the first half with a Mitchell 3-pointer to make it 35-27.  The Beacons went into the halftime break leading by six after Holmes closed out the half with a pair of made free throws.

In the second half, UMass Boston came out firing as they went on a 9-0 run to push their lead to 15 (44-29).  The Beacons would maintain their solid double-digit lead until a quick 6-0 run by the Cadets made it a nine-point affair with 13:27 left to play in regulation.

Despite the push by Norwich, the Beacons showed their composure, and answered right back with another offensive flurry.  UMB erased any chance of a Cadets comeback as they pushed their lead to as much as 18 points thanks to a 11-2 run, which was capped-off by a thunderous dunk by Cinelli.

UMass Boston would ride out the final few minutes in total control as they celebrated an impressive win to open the new campaign.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Thursday's win marked the first for the Beacons over the Cadets in just three meetings between the two teams (1-2)
• Thursday's contest marked the first time that the two teams had faced each other since the 2009 when they faced-each other in the season opener of the 2009-10 season
• The two teams have only ever faced each other in the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium with the first-ever meeting occurring on November 28, 1987
• Cinelli's double-double marked the first of his college career, and was the first time that he recorded 10 or more points in a game
• From the field the Beacons shot 41.0% (25-61), while the Cadets shot 33.3% (17-51)
• From 3-point range the Beacons were 9-for-30, while Norwich went 7-for-27
• The Beacons held a 35-34 advantage on the glass
• UMass Boston forced 17 Norwich turnovers, and had six steals and three blocked shots
• Ty Lee (Boston, Mass.) finished with a game-high eight assists and had five points
• Louis-Jean was the third Beacon to finish in double-figures as the senior recorded 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting

WHO'S NEXT

The Beacons will travel to Wheelock College on Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. non-conference game.