BOSTON, MA (February 11, 2025) – The UMass Boston men's basketball team (11-10, 6-7 Little East Conference) will travel to North Dartmouth, MA, on Wednesday, February 12, for an LEC road game against their Dartmouth counterparts, the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs (8-13, 5-7 LEC). The Beacons currently stand alone in fourth place, one win ahead of the Corsairs on the LEC Standings, as Wednesday's game serves as a key battle for postseason positioning with just three games remaining in the conference regular season.

Earlier this season, the Beacons dropped their initial matchup against the Corsairs 74-93 in Boston in January. In the effort, Emanuel Zayas (Hollywood, Fla.) and first-year Raphel Laurent (Peabody, Mass.) combined for 34 points.

UMass Boston enters Wednesday winning three of their last five games against the University of Southern Maine (87-82), Rhode Island College (84-79), and Eastern Connecticut State (70-62).

As a unit, the Beacons score 77.4 points per game and average 36.5 rebounds, 12.4 assists, 9.0 steals, and 3.4 blocks per game. Zayas and Laurent lead the way offensively, with Zayas scoring a team-high 336 points in 21 games (16.0 PPG), followed by Laurent with 265 points in the same stretch (12.6 PPG). In five games since his return from injury, sophomore guard Xavier McKenzie (Lowell, Mass.) has averaged 16.8 PPG. McKenzie nearly tied his collegiate high (32 PTS) against the LEC first-seeded Keene State Owls in Saturday's effort on the road (28 PTS). Together, Zayas and McKenzie provide the Beacons with a pair of top-ten PPG scorers in the conference, with McKenzie averaging a LEC seventh-best 16.1 and Zayas averaging a ninth-best 15.5 PPG. Graduate forward Mark Barrett (Brookline, Mass.) has made his impact known, leading the team in rebounds (5.8 RPG, 122 in 21 games) and blocks while second on the team in assists with 68 (3.2 APG). Zayas and McKenzie are the lead shooters from beyond the arch, with Zayas converting 40% from beyond the arch this season (58/145) and McKenzie shooting 45.5% (25/55). Zayas and Laurent combine for the team's lead defensive production with a combined 3.3 SPG (Zayas – 1.9 SPG, Laurent – 1.4 SPG). Junior forward Tyler Victor (Brockton, Mass.) continues to settle into his groove, scoring 11 and 14 points in his previous two games.

The Corsairs are 3-2 over their previous five games, most recently winning their third consecutive against the Vermont State University Castleton Spartans (108-73). Their most recent loss came at the hands of the Eastern Connecticut State Warriors (76-78) in January. On their home court, the Tripp Athletic Center, the Corsairs are 4-6 while securing their previous two consecutive. As a unit, the Corsairs are scoring a LEC third-best 82.3 PPG, and a conference second-best in Team 3PT Shooting (169/541 – 36.2%). UMass Dartmouth averages 38.3 rebounds, 13.9 assists, 8.4 steals, and 4.2 blocks per game. They are led by a trio of double-digit nightly scorers, fronted by Isaac Percy with a team-high 15.7 PPG and followed by Josh Lopes with 14.6 PPG and Camden DiChiara with 11.3 PPG. Lopes leads the team as the primary point with 3.7 assists per game and owns 1.7 nightly steals.

Tune In:
Wednesday's game at the Tripp Athletic Center in North Dartmouth, MA, will be ticketed online, costing children (13-17) 3$, and adults 5$, with the Corsairs' online ticketing platform found here:Athletic Event Ticketing - UMass Dartmouth. Cash will not be accepted. Per UMass Dartmouth Athletics: "UMass Dartmouth has partnered with HomeTown Ticketing to serve as the digital ticketing platform for basketball games. The HomeTown ticketing platform supports cashless, paperless, and contactless options to provide convenience for all spectators. We encourage all fans to purchase their tickets in advance to streamline the admission process.".
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