Worcester, MA --- Sophomore Eleazar Clayton (Boston, MA/E. Boston) canned a pair of free throws with less than one second remaining to help lift UMass Dartmouth to a 69-67 victory over Worcester State in non-conference men's basketball action this evening at Lancer Gymnasium.
Trailing by three with 3.1 seconds on the clock, Corsair senior Colin Burns (Chepachet, RI) drilled an NBA range three-pointer to tie the game at 67-67 to set the stage for Clayton's game-winning two-point conversion following a baseline turnover by the Lancers. Burns made an incredible individual effort as two defenders were in his face for the desperation shot.
UMass Dartmouth (4-3) led by eight points with 7:01 left in the game before the Blue and Gold went on a 9-2 run capped off by a senior Frank Stephenson (Fall River, MA) lay-up at the 3:51 mark for the 60-59 advantage.
The contest would then see four lead changes over the next two minutes of play until the Lancers went ahead 65-64 on two points in the paint by junior Robert Hunter (St. Louis, MO) following a solid diving dish by freshman Charles Gunter (Boston, MA/New Mission) with 1:24 remaining in regulation.
The Lancers (2-5) would then go two-for-four at the charity stripe with a pair of points by Stephenson to bring the score to 67-64 in the waning seconds of the contest. After a timeout, UMD would draw up what proved to be the game-tying shot.
With the score knotted at 6-6 at the 13:18 mark of the first half, UMass Dartmouth began an 11-3 spurt in the next three minutes to grab a 19-7 lead as they were paced by sophomore John Genkos (Worcester, MA/Doherty) who came off the bench to score five points in the burst.
The Lancers responded and outscored the Corsairs 12-2 as they pulled ahead 21-19 with 7:05 on the clock.
The remainder of the opening frame would see the score equaled four times and the lead changed hands twice before the Lancers emerged with the slim 32-31 edge at the intermission.
WSU maintained their halftime advantage as they would hold as much as a four point cushion with 16:20 left. As the Lancers led 45-44 with 15:20 on the clock, UMass Dartmouth senior Paul Rose (Boston, MA/N. Cambridge Catholic) sparked a 12-6 rally with a three-pointer to put the visitors ahead, 59-51, and set-up the dramatic finish.
Stephenson led all players in scoring with 19 points as he also contributed with seven boards and five assists.
Hunter had his fourth double-double in seven games this season with 15 points and 12 rebounds while classmate Mike Gittens (Uncasville, CT) had a career-best 18 points – including a three-of-four performance from beyond the arc.
Burns led the Corsairs with 11 points and four dishes while fourth-year Lance Greene (Dorchester, MA) put up 10 points and 10 boards for his sixth double-double of the year. Freshman Alex Rodrigues (Fall River, MA) had nine points and eight caroms coming off of the bench.
The Lancers shot the ball well from the field going 51 percent (25-for-49) on the night while shooting 6-14 from three-point land (43 percent). UMD connected for a 45 percent clip (27-for-60) for the game while equaling the Lancers total in treys made (6-for-13 – 46 percent).
Worcester State overcame a 16 miscue first period that allowed UMass Dartmouth to capitalize with an 18-6 advantage in points off of turnovers. With only five miscues in the second half, they were able to force seven Corsair turnovers and hold a 10-4 lead in the same category.
UMD controlled second chance points (13-7), fast break points (12-6) and bench points (27-4) as the Lancers had a slim 34-32 edge in the rebounding department.
Both teams take on non-conference opponents in the next week. The Lancers will host St. John Fisher on Saturday at 1 PM while UMD travels to Curry on Thursday for a 7 o'clock affair.
A portion of the gate will go to the squad's fundraiser on that day to Coaches Versus Cancer and donation cards will also be available. For more information contact WSU head coach Dave Lindberg.
Release by Jim Sarkisian – Sports Information Intern