GORHAM, Maine—Charles Mitchell (Boston, Mass.) and Malik Lorquet (Sharon, Mass.) each had historic nights, to lead UMass Boston men's basketball past host University of Southern Maine 68-59 on Wednesday evening. 

THE BASICS
UMass Boston 68, University of Southern Maine 59
(UMass Boston 11-12, Little East Conference 7-8) 
(University of Southern Maine 9-14, Little East Conference 4-10) 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Mitchell scored a game-high 22 points, including 12 in the first half, to help the Beacons earn a key conference win. With a layup 4:26 into the contest, Mitchell passed Terry Kennedy ('91) for fifth-place in program history for career points. He finished the game shooting 9-17 from the field and hit 3-of-8 3-pointers. 
 
Lorquet put together a big night of his own and made program history in the second half. The junior set the program record for career blocks (160) with 7:24 to go in regulation, when he swatted Marcus Christopher's layup attempt. On the night, Lorquet finished with 16 points on 7-10 shooting, eight rebounds and one block. 
 
Sophomore Michael Walsh (Marshfield, Mass.) was the final Beacon in double-figures. Walsh just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. Charlie Mitchell (Boston, Mass.) matched Walsh with nine rebounds and he and Tommy Burris (Dalton, Mass.) each finished with seven points apiece. 
 
Southern Maine sophomore Simon Chadbourne paced the hosts with 20 points on 6-7 3-point shooting. Christopher tacked on 13 points and Cody Hawes chipped in four points and 14 rebounds. 
 
Neither side could take control of the game during a back-and-forth first half. The two teams swapped the lead nine times, with UMass Boston leading by as many as four points and the Huskies earning a 3-point advantage at one point. The Beacons went into the break with a 31-29 lead when Burris knocked down a jumper with seven seconds left before halftime.
 
UMass Boston tried to put the game away out of the break. The Beacons went on a 7-2 run behind a pair of baskets from Charles Mitchell and a Lorquet layup to take a 38-31 advantage with 16:55 to play. Southern Maine wouldn't go away though, as the Huskies used a 9-4 flurry to get back within two and kept the game tight until the final five minutes. 
 
Lorquet and the Beacons finally earned some sustained breathing room in the final five minutes. The junior combined with Charlie Mitchell for a 6-0 run to push the lead to 58-50 and then hit a layup with 1:27 to play to make it 62-56. 
 
Walsh, Charlie Mitchell and Emanuel Zayas (Hollywood, Fla.) combined to go 6-7 from the free throw line down the stretch to secure the win.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• UMass Boston shot 40.3 percent (27-67) from the field, 5-19 from three (26.3 percent) and 64.3 percent (9-14) from the free throw line. 
• Lorquet is now the program-record holder for blocks in a single-season (70) and a career (160). He ranks in the top six in Division III in total blocks (fifth) and blocks per game (3.14 – sixth). 
• The Beacons earned a dominant edge in points in the paint (34-12) and points off turnover (27-4). UMass Boston forced the Huskies into 28 turnovers in the game. 
• Charles Mitchell now stands with 1,527 points for his collegiate career. He sits 32^nd in all of Division III amongst active players. 
• With the win, UMass Boston earns the season-sweep of the Huskies and improves to 32-48 all-time against Southern Maine. 

WHO'S NEXT 
 
UMass Boston will host Keene State College on Saturday at 3 p.m. for their regular-season finale and Senior Day. The Beacons will honor the Charlie and Charles Mitchell prior to the contest.