PLYMOUTH, N.H. (January 15, 2025) – The Beacons' (7-8, 2-5 Little East Conference) first-year guard Raphel Laurent (Peabody, Mass.) notched a career-high 26 points on 11-18 shooting with six rebounds and two steals to lead the effort for UMass Boston against the Plymouth State Panthers (9-5, 3-3 LEC).

In his first collegiate start, D'Anthony Amado (Brockton, Mass.) added ten points, including two three-pointers and 4-5 shooting from the free throw line to add 10 points. Amado and Laurent combined for 36 of the Beacons' 70 total points as the Panthers ultimately protected home court at the final buzzer.
How it Happened:
First Half:

• Amado opened the scoring for the Beacons with a perfect three-of-three trip at the free-throw line.
• A steal from junior Tyler Victor (Brockton, Mass.) found first-year guard Davon Sanders (Mansfield, Mass.) on the break, as he was fouled and went two-for-two at the free throw line to close out the half for the Beacons. At the halftime horn, the Beacons faced a 17-point gap behind the Panthers.
• Heading into the break, Zayas and Laurent combined for 16 points, with eight apiece. Zayas shot 2-4 from downtown, and Laurent shot an efficient 4-7 from the field.

Second Half:

• Back-to-back baskets from Laurent and fifth-year forward Mark Barrett (Brookline, Mass.) cut a 19-point deficit to 14 at the 16:41 mark in the second half.
• Victor and Laurent continued to chip away at the Panthers' lead, with back-to-back stops and scores at the 14:56 mark to keep the Panthers within reach at a 10-point lead.
• Plymouth State kept the Beacons at bay by shooting 4-9 from downtown and nearly a perfect 11-13 from the free throw line in the second half.
• Laurent scored his final basket with another layup with 24 seconds remaining, as Plymouth State took care of business on their home court, finishing the final moments up 70-85.

By the Box:

• Laurent's 26-point career-outing comes just five days after dropping his previous career-high of 17 points against Keene State Owls. His 11 field goals are the most made in a game for the Beacons since Xavier McKenzie (Lowell, Mass.) made 13 against Penn College on December 28, 2024.
• In his first collegiate start, Amado poured in 10 points, including two makes from beyond the arc and four of five free throws.
• In 13 minutes in the first half, Barrett finished with three rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. He ended with team-highs in two categories, including four blocks and eight rebounds, the most blocked shots in a game since Cameron Perkins (Danbury, Mass.) recorded four against Eastern Connecticut State on December 7, 2024.
• UMass Boston held the edge in second-chance points (12-11), bench points (42-30), and fastbreak points (22-21).
• The Beacons totaled six steals, led by Laurent and Victor, with two each.
• Barrett and Laurent assisted in the rebounding efforts, pulling in three offensive rebounds each, which led to second-chance opportunities.
• Sanders scored a perfect five for five at the charity stripe for a team-high in free throws made. He finished with seven points and a block in 21 minutes of action.

Who's Next:

• UMass Boston will return to LEC play on Wednesday, January 22, when they travel to Castleton, VT., to take on the Vermont State University Castleton Spartans at 7:30 p.m.