WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Neither Eastern Connecticut State University nor Plymouth State University had anything tangible to gain as it pertained to the upcoming Little East Conference men's basketball tournament when the teams closed out the regular season Saturday afternoon at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.
Plymouth (7-18, 3-13 LEC) had been eliminated from playoff contention last week, while Eastern's (16-9, 8-8 LEC) post-season fate depended solely upon the outcome of games Saturday featuring the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Rhode Island College, which entered the final day of the regular season joining Eastern in a three-way logjam for fifth place.
For the record, the Warriors got a career-high 26 points from junior guard Ray Carter (Springfield, MA) and nine points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench from junior forward Julian Sanchez (Willimantic) and outscored Plymouth by ten points after an even first half to complete a season sweep of the Panthers, 79-69, on Senior Day.
With Eastern needing a loss by either UMass Dartmouth or Rhode Island College Saturday on the road against higher-ranked teams, the Warriors got their wish, and because of that head into an LEC tournament quarterfinal-round game after a two-year hiatus.
Needing the help of either Keene State College or Western Connecticut State University to secure a tournament bid, Eastern was bailed out by both. Four-time defending champion Keene State obliged with a 90-69 victory over Rhode Island at Spaulding Gymnasium, while WestConn – needing a victory to share the regular-season title with the University of Massachusetts Boston and gain the No. 1 tournament seed -- -- had enough to hold off UMass Dartmouth, 81-71, at Feldman Arena.
With both UMass Dartmouth and Rhode Island losing, Eastern gains the No. 5 seed and will visit fourth-seeded University of Southern Maine in Tuesday's first-round contest. Southern Maine shares third place with Keene in the final standings but loses on tie-breakers to the Owls.
While Eastern lost twice this year to Keene – including Wednesday's 73-57 home setback – the Warriors split with Southern Maine. Eastern lost at the Warren Hill Gymnasium to USM, 81-70, Jan. 17, but bounced back two weeks ago for an 88-85 verdict at Geissler Gym.
After breezing through its non-conference schedule with an 8-1 record, Eastern faltered early in conference play with four straight LEC losses, but responded with four straight LEC victories (three of them on the road) in a ten-day span to move back into tournament contention (six of the nine teams in the final standings qualify for the tournament).
Against Plymouth Saturday, Eastern led by eight points midway through the first half – thanks in large part to PSU's 13.3 percent shooting through the first nine minutes -- but trailed by two, 30-28, on Brady Hulland's putback three minutes before the break.
The Warriors, however, took control right from the jump in the second half, outscoring Plymouth, 21-6 over the first five minutes to amass a 15-point, 56-41 lead. Carter and senior guard Dominick Dao (Terryville) spearheaded the onslaught. With Eastern leading by five, Carter connected on three three-point field goals in a span of three minutes and Dao scored three times inside to help the Warriors move out to their 15-point lead with 15 minutes left.
The key sequence that helped Eastern maintain that double-digit lead came with just over seven minutes left, when Dao sank two free throws and followed up with a three-pointer to make it a 13-point margin (73-60) with five minutes left.
Carter followed up his14-point first half with 12 more in the second, with Dao and Sanchez (six rebounds in the second half) each contributing nine points after the break, and senior forward Jalen Hamblin (West Hartford) adding eight. Junior forward Drew Soltis (Bridgeport) helped the cause with five second-half rebounds (eight in all) that gave Eastern a final +10 advantage on the boards.
Behind Carter (9-of-14 FG/4-of-5 from three), Hamblin finished with 19 points and Dao 11. Senior point guard Michael Carothers (Queens, NY) had five assists and four rebounds.
With Eastern's lead at 15, Eastern's two remaining seniors – Jaden Jones (Waterbury) and Eli Evison (Portland) -- saw action in the final home games of their careers. Evison grabbed two rebounds in the final 76 seconds.
Senior guard Yansel Reyes, who did not play in Eastern's earlier eight-point win at Plymouth, led the Panthers with 22 points despite missing nine of 11 three-point field goals.