BOSTON, MA (February 15, 2024) – Emanuel Zayas (Hollywood, Fla.) led five Beacons in double figures as UMass Boston (12-11, 7-8 Little East Conference) ran up an 88-point tally against the Plymouth State Panthers (11-12, 4-10 LEC) in the penultimate LEC matchup in the 2024-25 LEC Regular Season.
Zayas dished out six assists and nailed five triples (5-10 3PT) with four steals and 23 points to lead four other UMass Boston student-athletes in double figures, including first-year standout Raphel Laurent (Peabody, Mass.) and graduate Mark Barrett (Brookline, Mass.) combined for 30 points (15 each), as well as the bench duo of first-year Davon Sanders (Mansfield, Mass.) and Anthony Gauthier (Jaffrey, N.H.) with 10 and 11 points off the bench.

How it Happened:

First Half:

• Zayas opened the book for the Beacons off the steal from Barrett to give UMass Boston the game's first basket. Zayas' opening basket sparked a 15-2 run, the largest of the half,  in the opening six minutes, capped by Sanders' first three-pointer of the game.
• Gauthier successfully converted the and-one layup to retake an early 14 point lead (18-4).
• With just under five minutes remaining in the half, Zayas' first three pointer of the game broke 32 points on the board for the Beacons, and gave UMass Boston the largest lead of the half (32-16, +16).
• In the final three minutes of the half, UMass Boston outscored the Panthers 11-3, heading to the locker rooms with a 19-point advantage.
• The Beacons outscored the Panthers 43-25 in the first in a dominant offensive showing.
• At the break, Zayas had 10 on 4-9 shooting with three assists and two steals. Laurent and Barrett were just behind him, each with eight points. Barrett was 3-4 from the field, including three rebounds, four assists, three steals, and was +21 while on the floor.
• The Beacons held the lead for 19:23 out of 20:00 in the opening half.

Second Half:

• Zayas opened the second half with a bang, following a deep and-one three-pointer, as he iced the free throw to give the Beacs a 21-point lead in the first minute.  
• Barrett found Zayas in the corner for his second straight three-pointer as the Beacons continued to press on the gas.
• Following a media timeout with six minutes expired, Laurent came out firing with five straight points and assisting Sanders on the fastbreak for a seven-point flurry in 90 seconds. Sanders' lay in gave the Beacons their largest lead of the game (+27).
• With under six minutes to go, the Beacons built on their 27-point advantage off a pair of free throws from Barrett and a Gauthier finish off the Zayas' dime to stretch the lead to 29.
• Senior Ish Fofana (Boston, Mass.) went two-for-two at the stripe to give the Beacons their final points in a 31-point statement victory from the Clark Gymnasium, with one LEC regular season remaining on the schedule.

By the Box:

• Zayas led all scorers with 23 points (8-15 FG, 5-10 3PT, 2-3 FT), including six assists and four steals in an all-around performance.
• Laurent supported Zayas with 15 points (7-14 FG, 1-2 3PT), four rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
• Barrett was once again all over the stat sheet with 15 points, three rebounds, a team-high seven assists, one block, and a team-high five steals.
• Sanders and Gauthier led the bench unit in scoring. In 19 minutes, Gauthier scored 11 points (4-5 FG, 3-3 FT), and Sanders with 10 points (4-5 FG, 1-2 3PT) and five rebounds.
• UMass Boston followed an impressive first half with an efficient 15-27 shooting in the second half, including 5-10 from beyond the arch and 10-14 from the free throw line.
• The Beacons scored 31 points off turnovers, 23 on the fastbreak, 25 points from the bench, and 42 points in the paint, outscoring the Panthers in a dominant team showing.

With one game remaining in the LEC Regular Season, the Beacons sit in fourth place with a 7-8 conference record, two games behind the third-seeded Rhode Island College Anchormen, and one game ahead of the University of Southern Maine Huskies (10-13, 6-8 LEC).

The Beacons will host their senior night in the final home game of the 2024-25 regular season on Wednesday, February 19, at 7:00 p.m., against the ninth-seeded Vermont State University Castleton Spartans (4-18, 3-11 LEC) from the Clark Gymnasium.