BOSTON, MA (January 17, 2024) – The UMass Boston men's basketball program was able to stave off the Vermont State University Castleton Spartans in a Little East Conference showdown that went blow-for-blow and came down to the wire from the Clark Gymnasium on Wednesday evening, as the Beacons held on for their second consecutive win in five games since entering the new year.

The Beacons were led offensively once again by junior guard Emanuel Zayas, who contributed a team-high 12 points, including a team-high in three-point field goals made, connected on four different occasions, each shot stretching further and further from the cup. Zayas also contributed a team-high five assists on the night, dishing out easy buckets for his teammates. Sophomore guard Alex Woolery stepped up on both ends of the floor tonight, contributing 11 points on three-of-eight shooting, and 100% from the charity stripe, hitting five of his five attempts. Woolery also served as the secondary playmaker for the Beacons, dishing out four dimes to keep the Beacons' offense rolling. Woolery and Zayas contributed three steals each with their defensive awareness. Sophomore forwards Connor Walden and Erik Donaldson held it down on the boards for the Beacons, with Donaldson coming down with eight, and Walden securing a team-high 10. Sophomore guard Hector Perez added two three-pointers, to go with eight points, as each of his shots connected in a timely fashion.

The Spartans would start the game with possession as Joe Russel would try his luck from deep unsuccessfully to start the game off. The initial moments of the first half saw both teams scope each other out, as the Beacons were able to jump out to a small five-point lead within the first five minutes. By the halfway point in the first half, a Zayas jumper from deep put the Beacons up by the largest lead of the game at 13 points (24-11). Another five minutes passed, and the Spartans managed to chip away little by little to bring the lead back to within five with just over five minutes remaining in the first half. A layup by the Beacs' sophomore guard Fidendi Francois ended the half to capitalize on a seven-to-two Beacons' run, putting them ahead 10 points going into the break. The Beacs outscored the Spartans 36-26 in the first half on 12-31 shooting, 5-12 from downtown.

The second half was initiated by a few missed shots followed by turnovers from both teams, but it would be the Spartans' Justin Schwarzbeck who broke the scoring ice to begin the half, as he connected with a layup off a dish from Will Radcliff. Radcliff would come back the next possession after securing a stop on the defensive end, to connect on a layup inside to cut the Beacons' lead to just six points to begin the start of the second half. This would be the story of the second as the Beacons' largest lead in the second half came just at the 16-minute mark, as the rest of the game the Spartans spent chipping away at the deficit the Beacons them in. With ten minutes remaining and halfway expired through the second half, Castleton was able to cut the deficit to just two possessions (48-44). Walden responded to the run by silencing the Castleton bench with an automatic mid-range jumper, as his shot was able to provide some momentum, and a cushion for the Beacons heading into the final stretch. However, the Spartans would will their way even closer as the clock ticked closer to zero, as a Radcliff layup would knot things even at 56 apiece for the Spartans and the Beacons with just over four minutes remaining. 80 seconds remained, and the score was still tied at 58, until an off-target Zayas three-pointer was collected by Walden, as Walden was fouled on the rebound to allow the Beacons the opportunity to send the Spartans back north. Walden was unsuccessful on the first, but iced the game on his second free throw. The final Spartans' possession was shut down completely, as Woolery forced a deflection with moments expiring to give the Beacons their second consecutive win in five games, also their second of the new year.

With the victory over LEC opponents Vermont State University Castleton, the Beacons improve to 4-13 overall this season, while maintaining a 3-5 LEC record. Beacs will look to keep the ball rolling against the Warriors of Eastern Connecticut State University on Saturday at 3:00 pm from the Clark Athletic Center. Live results and video coverage can be found at UMass Boston - Official Athletics Website (beaconsathletics.com).