BOSTON, MA (January 7, 2025) – The UMass Boston men's basketball team will hit the road on Wednesday, January 8, for a 7:00 p.m. Little East Conference tip-off against the University of Southern Maine Huskies. UMass Boston is seeking its eighth win of the season against their fourth conference opponent of the year.

Previously

• Cumulatively, the Beacons are 32-51 against the Huskies all-time. Their most recent matchup on January 31, 2024, saw the Huskies victorious 72-65 on their home court in Gorham, ME. UMass Boston has dropped the last three games against the Huskies, with the closest margin being January 31's seven-point setback. The last victory against the Huskies for UMass Boston came in January of 2022 when the Beacons took care of business and won 66-60 on the road. UMass Boston has taken home six victories in the last ten matchups and averages 69.6 points.

This Season

• The Beacons (7-4, 2-1 LEC) have consistently found a way to get it done this season. In their last six games, they are 3-3 with wins against Salem State (85-78), Penn College (99-77), and Eastern Connecticut State (77-70). Their most significant of the season, the Beacons tallied a season-high 101 points in a near 30-point blowout of the Curry College Colonels on November 25. As a unit, the Beacons average 78.6 points (44% FG, 35% 3PT, 64.8% FT), led by first-year Cameron Perkins (Danbury, Conn.) and Xavier McKenzie (Lowell, Mass) with 25.8 PPG and 16.0 PPG respectively. Junior captain Emanuel Zayas (Manny) (Hollywood, Fla.) is the primary playmaker with a team-high 4.2 assists out of the Beacons' 13.4 per game. Perkins and graduate forward Mark Barrett (Brookline, Mass.) led the effort on the glass with 7.7 and 6.3 rebounds per game, respectively, out of the total 37.9 per night. Barrett has been a jack-of-all-trades, providing height and physicality on the defensive glass and adding a unique vision on the offensive end that throws a variety of looks at defenses that keep them guessing with his passing and post-scoring. First-year Raphel Laurent (Peabody, Mass.) is coming off his first LEC Rookie of the Week award for averaging 13.5 points in 27 minutes of action in a 1-1 week for UMass Boston. Laurent has also taken pride in his play on both ends of the court this season, as he has recorded at least one block or steal in seven of the 11 games played this season, to go with fourth on the team in scoring with 8.5 PPG.
• The Huskies (5-7, 1-2 LEC) have lost their last five straight, with the most recent victory coming against Eastern Connecticut State (80-84) on December 4. As a unit, the Huskies average 80.9 (46.6% FG, 36.1% 3PT, 73.1% FT) points per game, led by graduate forward Bryce Lausier with 22.8 PPG, 11.6 rebounds per game, and 3.3 assists per game, good for team-highs in all categories. Lausier is coming off an LEC Player of the Week award from December 30 for averaging 24.5 and 13 rebounds in two games for the Huskies, including a 20-point – 20 rebound game in a 79-90 loss against Concordia Tornados.

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