What should have a been a joyous occasion for the departing seniors of the UMass Boston men’s basketball team instead turned out to be a heartbreaking defeat to the Panthers of Plymouth State College, 67-58, that for all practical purposes eliminated any chance of the team hosting a first round home game in the Little East Conference tournament.

Seniors Paul Kemp and Kamau Pritchard were recognized by the university and athletics department in a ceremony prior to the game.

The day started out wonderfully for the Beacons, who exploded to a huge lead over the Panthers in the first half, going up by as many as 17 points. However, PSC did not give up as the team cut the lead to nine by halftime.

After battling back and forth for the first couple of minutes of the second half, the Panthers took control of the game, taking their first lead of the contest with 14 minutes left. UMB hung around for a while longer, but when it got down to crunch time, the Beacons failed to hit any of their field goal attempts while the Panthers executed enough of their offensive sets and sank a majority of their free throws for the win.

UMB’s Billy Allen and Roger Perry once again had solid performances, scoring 14 points apiece to lead the Beacons. Forward Roderic Joseph and center Jurvon Wallace each contributed with 11 points.

The Beacons lost a nail biter to the Huskies of Southern Maine on Tuesday February 18 80-78 OT. The team’s record falls to 11-13 for the season. UMB finishes the regular season with a matchup on the road against Western Connecticut State, the top team in the Little East Conference, on Saturday, February 22 at 3pm. The Beacons beat the Colonials earlier in the year 76-66 in the friendly confines of the Clark Athletic Center.