The Plymouth State University men’s basketball team shot 61.5 per cent and forced 11 Eastern Connecticut State University turnovers in the first half on the way to an 82-65 Little East Conference victory in the regular-season finale for both teams Saturday afternoon at Foley Gymnasium.
With its tenth loss in 11 games on its opponents’ home court this year, Eastern (9-16, 3-11) finishes in a tie for seventh place in the final regular-season conference standings and will visit the University of Massachusetts Boston Tuesday night in a first-round conference tournament game. The Warriors are the No. 7 seed, UMass the No. 2 seed. UMass was denied a share of its first conference regular-season title when it dropped a 79-72 decision at Rhode Island College Saturday. Fourth-seeded Plymouth State (16-9, 8-6) hosts No. 5 seed UMass Dartmouth in Tuesday’s first-round game.
Saturday, Plymouth canned 16 of 26 shots in the first half while Eastern was shooting 38.5 per cent and turning the ball over 11 times as the Panthers surged to a 14-point, 41-27 halftime lead. The Warriors would not get closer than that 14-point margin in the second half.
Sophomore guard Kris Johnson led Eastern with 12 points, junior guard Geoffrey Richardson and sophomore guard Saliym Wilson adding ten each. The points were a career-high for Wilson, who was 6-for-8 from the free-throw line.
Plymouth, which has won 12 straight against Eastern, got 16 points from junior guard Brandon Boggs and 14 from junior center Kevin Boutilier.
Eastern and UMass Boston have not met in conference tournament play since the Beacons won, 76-67, in the 1997 semifinals at UMass Dartmouth. Eastern has won two of three against UMass Boston in conference tournament play, both wins coming at Geissler Gym. UMass swept this year’s regular-season series, winning 76-72 Dec. 3 at Geissler Gym in the conference opener for both teams, and 84-77 Jan. 21 at Boston.