The Panthers were a blistering 65 percent from the field in the first half, and even hotter after the break when they converted 70 percent of their shots. PSU remains undefeated on the season at 6-0, while the Jumbos drop to 5-2.
Senior Kevin Boutilier (North Andover, Mass.) led a balanced Panther scoring attack with 19 points, hitting 7-of-9 from the field. Junior Andreas Pope (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and senior Brandon Boggs (Strafford, N.H.) tossed in 14 points apiece, Pope making 5-of-6 shots and Boggs sinking 5-of-8. Senior Mark Dunham (Salem, N.H.) added 13 points and junior Mike Walcek (Dover, N.H.) chipped in with 11.
Senior Dan Martin (Sandwich, Mass.) led all scorers with 25 points for the Jumbos, while also collecting a team-high nine rebounds. Junior Brian Kumf (Milford, Mass.) was the only other Jumbo to score in double figures, adding 11 points and eight boards.
While PSU was lighting up the scoreboard, Tufts managed to convert only 38 percent in the first half and 39 percent for the game. The Jumbos managed a 39-23 advantage on the boards.
Plymouth State built up a 10-point lead (15-5) before the game was five minutes old. The Jumbos battled back and cut the margin to one point (23-22), but PSU went on a 16-4 run to push the lead back up to double digits before settling for a 13-point bulge at the break.
The Panthers maintained a double-digit lead the entire second half, going up by 21 points with 12 minutes to play and coasting home the rest of the way.
The Panthers play another non-conference home game this Thursday against Bridgewater State (6:00 p.m.) before visiting Rhode Island College on Saturday (3:00 p.m.) for the last game before the semester break. Tufts is back in action Thursday at Keene State (7:30 p.m.) before concluding the semester Saturday at home against Clark (2:00 p.m.)
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