PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Plymouth State outscored the Beacons 34-26 in the second half to secure a come-from-behind win over men's basketball as they earned a 61-54 decision Saturday afternoon at Foley Gymnasium.

THE BASICS

UMass Boston 54, Plymouth State University 61

UMass Boston (15-10, 9-7 Little East Conference)
Plymouth State University (15-10, 9-7 Little East Conference)

HOW IT HAPPENED

With Saturday's result the Beacons have secured the four-seed in next week's Little East Conference Tournament, which begins on Tuesday.  The Beacons will host the five-seed Rhode Island College Anchormen at 7:30 p.m. in Clark Athletic Gymnasium.

Jaylen LeRoy, led the Panthers with 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting.  He would score what would be the game-clinching 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds to play in regulation.  That basket made a 59-54 advantage in favor of the Panthers, while a pair of free throws from Dante Rivera solidified the PSU win.

Mark Munroe (Quincy, Mass.) led the Beacons with 14 points and 13 rebounds.  Dasan Cinelli (Boston, Mass.) dropped in 12 points, while also grabbing six boards.  Tommy Burris (Dalton, Mass.) finished with 10 points for the Beacons.

Junior guard Charles Mitchell (Boston, Mass.) was held to single digits for the first time since January 22 when he finished with seven points against the Panthers.  Mitchell was 3-for-18 from the field, and 0-for-7 from distance.

The Beacons struggled from the field shooting just 32.8% on the day.  After taking a one point lead into the halftime break, the Beacons went cold shooting 29.4% (1-10 from 3-point range). 

BY THE NUMBERS

• Plymouth State held a 43-39 advantage on the glass
• The Beacons were 24-for-57 from the field and 5-for-10 from 3-point range
• UMB held a 28-26 advantage in the paint, but the Panthers bench outscored the Beacons 20-4
• The Beacons converted the Panthers 21 turnovers into 25 points
• Munroe recorded a career-high five blocked shots
• The Beacons matched their season-high in blocked shots with nine

WHO'S NEXT

The Beacons will host Rhode Island College on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Little East Conference Tournament Quarterfinal round.