WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – A Charles Mitchell (Boston, Mass.) lay-up with one-minute, 25 seconds left in regulation proved to be the deciding basket as men's basketball earned their first win over Eastern Connecticut State University since 2009 as the Beacons recorded a 62-58 victory Saturday afternoon at Geissler Gymnasium.

THE BASICS

UMass Boston 62, Eastern Connecticut State University 58

UMass Boston (7-4, 2-1 Little East Conference)
Eastern Connecticut State (4-7, 0-2 Little East Conference)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Mitchell's go-ahead basket in the final minutes of Saturday's contest gave the Beacons a slim 58-56 lead.  Charlie Mitchell (Boston, Mass.) would then make a two possession game after going 2-for-2 at the charity stripe.  A lay-up by ECSU's Jake Callagan with 12 seconds left made it a two-point affair (60-58).

However the Beacons would have the final say as Michael Boyd (Malden, Mass.) made a pair of free throws to clinch UMB's first win at Geissler Gymnasium since 2009 as well.

Boyd led the Beacons with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting.  Seth Thomas was red-hot for the Warriors all afternoon, as he finished with a career-high 30 points on 13-of-19, which included a pair of free throws. 

Charles Mitchell was the second Beacon to finish in double-figures as the junior guard added 11 points.

The Beacons played perhaps their best basketball this season, as they aggressors in the opening minutes to take an early 11-point lead (14-5).  The Warriors would erase the double-digit deficit, making it a back-and-forth affair for the next 28 minutes.  ECSU would hold a slim one-point lead heading into the break (32-31).

ECSU held control of the scoreboard for most of the second half, but with one last push by the Beacons, they managed to take a slim lead of their own into the final minutes.  The Beacons defense held the Warriors offense to just three shots over the final two plus minutes as they closed out the contest with solid free throw shooting.

BY THE NUMBERS

• With the win, the Beacons end a 23-game losing streak to the Warriors
• Dasan Cinelli (Boston, Mass.) finished with a team-high seven rebounds
• The Warriors held a 41-30 advantage on the glass, with Thomas finishing with a game-high 12 boards
• Malik Lorquet (Sharon, Mass.) led all players with three blocked shots, and had seven points and five rebounds
• Saturday's win over the Warriors was the first for head coach Jason Harris
• With his 16 points, Boyd is now at 841 career points as a Beacon, while Charles Mitchell now sits at 829 career points
• The Beacons shot 37.9% from the field, while the Warriors shot 42.6%

WHO'S NEXT

The Beacons will host Western Connecticut State University on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in a Little East Conference game.