BOSTON, Mass. (January 10, 2025) – The UMass Boston men's basketball team will need to dig deep for a highly anticipated Little East Conference showcase against the current LEC two-seed, the Keene State Owls, from the Beacons' home court on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.

This Season:

• The Beacons (7-5, 2-2 LEC) are 2-3 in their last five games, with the most recent result resulting in a wire-to-wire finish in Gorham, ME, where the Beacons fell just short against the University of Southern Maine (77-82). Their most recent victory came against the Salem State Vikings (85-78) when senior captain Emanuel Zayas eclipsed 1,000 career points. As a unit, the Beacons are scoring 78.5 points (44.1% FG, 34.1% 3PT, 64.2% FT) per game, and average 38.3 rebounds, 13.1 assists, 9.7 steals, and 3.7 blocks per game. In the unfortunate absence of the Beacons' top scorers, graduate floor-spacing-playmaker Mark Barrett (Brookline, Mass.), first-year defensive-stopper Raphel Laurent (Peabody, Mass.) and Zayas have backpacked the offensive load. This season, Zayas is averaging 14.9 PPG, 2.0 steals per game, and a team-high 4.2 assists per game. Barrett is averaging just under eight points with 6.3 RPG (second in team average), 3.2 assists, and 1.9 steals and blocks per game. Laurent is averaging 9.1 PPG, 1.7 steals and blocks per game, and 4.2 rebounds per game. Entering this week, he is coming off his first career LEC Rookie of the Week award.
• The Owls (8-3, 4-0 LEC) are 3-2 in their last five and are currently on a two-game win streak following victories against Connecticut College (69-64), and Vermont State University Castleton (101-55). As a unit, the Owls average 87.4 PPG (44.7 FG%, 33.9 3PT%, 77.2 FT%), 35.5 RPG, 14.9 APG, 10.8 steals per game, and 2.8 blocks per game. Offensively they are led by Octavio Brito, a three-time LEC Player of the Week candidate, who averages a team-high 21.1 PPG. Brito is also leading the effort on the glass with 5.5 rebounds per game, the team's primary player averaging 3.1 APG, and averages a team-high in steals per game with 1.8.

Tune In:

• To follow along with live stat coverage, follow the link HERE.
• To follow along with the live video broadcast, follow the link HERE.