UMass Boston owned a 47-39 lead with 7:12 to play in the game, but Eastern Connecticut went on a 13-5 run, capped by a three-pointer from Leon Martin, who scored seven points during the run, to pull the Warriors even at 52-52 with 3:59 showing in the contest. The score would be tied at 54-54 with 3:10 remaining, before senior forward Charles Yuan knocked down a pair of free throws and sophomore guard Amigo Paniagua converted a lay-up to give the Beacons a 58-54 lead with 1:10 left in the game. Matt Albon sunk a jumper for Eastern Connecticut with 53 seconds left to make it 58-56 and then called a timeout. UMass Boston worked the clock down on the following possession and turned the ball over as the Warriors came down the court with a two-on-one, but Yuan stepped up with a huge block to get the ball back for the Beacons with 13 seconds left. Barros later made a lay-up with eight ticks left in the game to seal the 60-56 win for UMass Boston.
The teams were tied at 9-9 with 15:07 showing in the second half, but Eastern Connecticut held the Beacons to just one point over the next 8:29, while scoring 10 points to take a 19-10 lead with 7:04 to go in the opening half. UMass Boston came back, though, closing out the half with a 14-5 run to tie the contest at the intermission at 24-24, with Barros leading the way with three treys during the stretch.
The Warriors, who shot 51.1% (23-45) for the game, built a 35-28 lead in the first 4:29 of the second stanza, before the Beacons reeled off seven straight points to knot the game at 35-35 with 11:46 to go in the half. UMass Boston kept the burst going, scoring 10 of the game’s next 12 points to take a 45-37 lead with 9:27 remaining in the contest, fueled by eight points from Barros.
Barros was 10-20 from the floor, including 6-9 from three-point range and added six rebounds, four steals, an assist and a block to his night for the Beacons. Paniagua finished just short of a double-double with 10 points and nine boards in addition to six assists and three steals, while sophomore point guard A.J. Titus dished for a game-high nine assists to go with three points, two rebounds and a pair of steals.
Martin led the Warriors with 17 points on 7-11 from the field and added six rebounds, four blocks, three assists and a steal. Geoffrey Richardson contributed with 11 points and added two rebounds, four assists and a steal, while Albon chipped in with 10 points two rebounds, a steal and an assist.
UMass Boston will be in action again on Friday, February 24 when it takes on the tournament’s number three seed Rhode Island College at tournament host Keene State College in Keene, NH with the time to be announced.
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Eastern Connecticut State vs UMass Boston 2/21/06 7:00 p.m. at Boston, MA - Clark Athletic Center At Boston, MA - Clark Athletic Center UMASS BOSTON 60, EASTERN CONNECTICUT STATE 56 EASTERN CONNECTICUT STATE (9-17) Leon Martin 7-11 2-2 17; Geoffrey Richardson 4-10 2-2 11; Matt Albon 4-8 0-0 10; Kevin Zalucki 3-5 0-6 6; Dan Trudeau 2-5 0-1 4; Kris Johnson 1-2 0-0 3; Daniel DeJesus 1-1 0-0 3; Greg Lasota 1-3 0-1 2. Totals 23-45 4-12 56. UMASS BOSTON (16-10) Tony Barros 10-20 4-6 30; Amigo Paniagua 5-11 0-2 10; Rodney Bennett 3-6 1-4 7; Charles Yuan 2-4 2-2 6; Mark Doran 2-9 0-0 4; A.J. Titus 0-6 3-4 3; James L. Hall 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-57 10-18 60. Eastern Connecticut State..... 24 32 - 56 UMass Boston.................. 24 36 - 60 3-point goals-Eastern Connecticut State 6-14 (Matt Albon 2-5; Kris Johnson 1-2; Geoffrey Richardson 1-4; Leon Martin 1-1; Daniel DeJesus 1-1; Greg Lasota 0-1), UMass Boston 6-14 (Tony Barros 6-9; Amigo Paniagua 0-1; Mark Doran 0-2; A.J. Titus 0-2). Fouled out--Eastern Connecticut State-None, UMass Boston-None. Rebounds-Eastern Connecticut State 31 (Greg Lasota 6; Leon Martin 6), UMass Boston 36 (Amigo Paniagua 9). Assists-Eastern Connecticut State 17 (Greg Lasota 8), UMass Boston 18 (A.J. Titus 9). Total fouls-Eastern Connecticut State 13, UMass Boston 17. A-325 First Round - 2006 Little East Conference Tournament