BOSTON, Mass. – A second half surge lifted Plymouth State University to a 68-59 Little East Conference win over men's basketball Wednesday evening at Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium.

THE BASICS

UMass Boston 59, Plymouth State University 68

UMass Boston (11-6, 5-3 Little East Conference)
Plymouth State University (9-7, 4-4 Little East Conference)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Led by Devin Cooper who posted a double-double of 17 points and 17 rebounds, the Panthers overcame a slim Beacons lead in the second half.  Plymouth State went on to outscore the Beacons 42-31 over the final 20 minutes, and dominated all evening in the paint finishing with a +20 advantage (42-22). 

Also having a big game for the Panthers was Jaylen LeRoy who also dropped in a team-high 17 points.  Kevin Henry finished with 15 points off the bench, while Gerald Fleming posted a double-double of his own with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Michael Boyd (Malden, Mass.) led the Beacons with 22 points, while Dasan Cinelli (Boston, Mass.) finished with his fourth double-double of the season after recording 13 points and 15 rebounds. 

The Beacons controlled the momentum of Wednesday's conference game as they reached a double-figure lead (20-7) by the midway point of the opening half.  However, the Panthers would come roaring back over the next five minutes to tie the score at 23-23.  UMass Boston would close out the final minutes on a 5-3 run to head into the halftime break with a 28-26 lead.

In the second half, the Beacons were able to keep their one-possession lead for about three minutes, before the Panthers erupted for a 9-0 run with seven of those points belonging to Cooper.  That quick surge would keep Plymouth State in control of the lead for the remainder of the contest.  The Panthers owned the paint over the final 20 minutes outscoring the Beacons 28-14. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• With his seven points Charles Mitchell (Boston, Mass.) now sits with 936 career points
• Boyd is now sitting with 903 career points after Wednesday's game
• All-time the Beacons are now 51-25 against Plymouth State and have dropped two straight to the Panthers
• The Beacons shot 36.5% from the field (23-63), 36.0% from behind the arc (9-25), and 26.7% from the line (4-15)
• The Panthers held a 52-36 advantage on the glass

WHO'S NEXT

The Beacons will host Keene State College on Saturday at 3 p.m.