DAYTONA BEACH, FLA (December 29. 2024) – The Beacons' men's basketball team dropped their second and final matchup of the Florida Sunshine Shootout Tournament following their effort against the Husson University Eagles on Sunday evening from the Ocean Center.

The Basics:
UMass Boston 60 – 74 Husson University
UMass Boston: 6-3 (2-1 Little East Conference)
Husson University: 9-5 (3-0 North Atlantic Conference)

How it Happened:

• The Beacons struck first off a Hector Perez (Easton, Mass.) dish to Mark Barrett (Brookline, Mass.) for the deep-range pull to open the scoring. Halfway through the first half, and with the Beacons facing a seven-point deficit, first-year Raphel Laurent (Peabody, Mass.) connected from downtown to end an Eagles' run and make it a two-possession game. From there, the Eagles began to run up the scoring with a plethora of three-point and midrange jumpers that opened the floor and allowed Husson to excel. Junior Fidendi Francios (Somerville, Mass.) concluded the half on a high note for UMass Boston with a steal and fastbreak score by himself to give the Beacons 21.
• Laurent layed in the second half's first basket for the Beacons following several trips to the free throw line. The Eagles remained out of reach for the Beacons until Barrett connected on a mid-range jumper to bridge the gap to ten points. A few defensive stops and possessions later, first-year Davon Sanders (Mansfield, Mass.) went two for two from the line to make it a single-digit deficit for the first time since the 8:20 mark of the first half. Ultimately, the final push would come to little too late as time expired with the Eagles outlasting UMass Boston in the final game of the Florida Sunshine Shootout Tournament.

By the Box:

• Sophomore Xavier McKenzie (Lowell, Mass.) led scoring in the first half with seven points.
• Captain Emannuel Zayas (Hollywood, Fla.) would shoulder the offense in the second half with 12 of his 13 total points, bringing him 32 points away from the 1,000 career point mark.
• Sanders recorded a career-high 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds in 20 minutes of action.

Who's Next:

• The Beacons retake the court following the New Year, as they hit the road on Thursday, January 2 for a 7:00 p.m. non-conference tip-off against the Wheaton College Lyons in Norton, MA. Stay tuned for the game preview.