The regular season for UMass Boston Men’s Basketball has finally come to an end after three months of action, and according to Beacons Athletics, their final record for the season was a less-than-ideal 7–18. The Beacons split their last two games with a win against Plymouth State University and a loss to Vermont State University Castleton [1].
Against the Panthers, the Beacons started a little slow. According to Beacons Athletics, a 10–2 opening put the Beacons into a multiple-possession hole right off the bat. That was until Hector Perez and Fidendi Francois helped tie the game up at ten. The majority of the first half past that point was quite the offensive showdown, but the Panthers went into halftime up seven after a strong finish to quarter two [2].
Emanuel Zayas started the game off cold but began to pick things up as the first half closed. He rode this momentum right into the second half, where he led a pushback for the lead just seven minutes into the second half. It was not long after that Zayas continued to take over, and along with the help of Francois, built up a nine-point lead [2].
The Panthers played close with the Beacons from that point on, cutting the lead to three points. However, the Beacons capitalized on their foul game at the end, making their free throws to seal the win. The Beacons came out on top in a narrow 76–74 victory [2].
Zayas had himself a day, scoring 30 points and reeling in nine rebounds in the victory. According to Beacons Athletics, he also made six of his eight three-pointers, and ten out of his 11 free throws, making it a very efficient game from him. Connor Walden also put on quite the showcase with 22 points of his own [3].
The Beacons took one more trip up north to Castleton, Vt. to take on the Spartans in what was the last game of the regular season. According to Beacons Athletics, the first half of this game went a bit differently than their Panthers match. The Beacons led as much as 19 in the first half, with Walden and Zayas leading the way. They went into halftime up 32–23; not as big of a lead as they once had, but still a strong one [4].
However, the second half was a whole different ball game. The Spartans muscled their way back into the game, and halfway through the second half, the once 19-point lead the Beacons had was now squandered to just five. By the time seven minutes remained, the game was tied, and not too long after that, the Spartans took the lead [4].
The Spartans would not look back the rest of the game, putting up a whopping 50-point second half. The Beacons fell to them in an absolutely heartbreaking loss, 73–63 . This was not the way they wanted to end the year, and now, they must look to the tournament to bounce back.
The Little East Conference Tournament has the sixth-seeded Beacons taking on the third-seeded UMass Dartmouth Corsairs on the road. These two squads matched up recently, and it did not go well for the Beacons, as they lost 101–85 in their final home game of the year. If there’s one thing on the Beacons’ minds going into this matchup, it’s to bounce back from both that loss to the Corsairs and their second-half collapse against the Spartans [1].
This game will be an excellent opportunity for the Beacons to prove they are better than their record states. The matchup will be played Tuesday, Feb. 20, and the Beacons hope to keep their season alive by pulling the upset [1].
Sources:
- https://beaconsathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule
- https://beaconsathletics.com/news/2024/2/10/mens-basketball-zayas-30-points-wills-the-beacs-over-the-plymouth-state-panthers.aspx
- https://beaconsathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats/2023-24/plymouth-state-university/boxscore/11609
- https://beaconsathletics.com/news/2024/2/14/mens-basketball-walden-and-zayas-combine-for-41-in-the-mens-basketball-regular-season-finale-at-castleton.aspx