Box Score NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – First-year forwards Hugh Lindo (Enfield) and Leroy Haye (Delray Beach, FL) combined for 24 points off the bench to lead five double-figure scorers as the Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball team remained undefeated in the Little East Conference with a 78-69 victory over the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Tuesday night at the Tripp Athletic Center.
At right: Leroy Haye (14)
Now 7-1 against New England competition this year, Eastern (10-4, 4-0 Little East) opens up a two-game lead over UMass Dartmouth (8-5, 2-1 Little East) and Western Connecticut and remains a game up on defending champion Rhode Island College. It was the ninth straight win for Eastern over UMass Dartmouth in this series.
Haye, a junior transfer, and Lindo, a freshman, combined to shoot 10-of-15 from the floor in a total of 34 minutes off the bench to power the Warriors to their fifth victory in six tries on their opponent's home court. Haye had a career-high 13 points and Lindo equaled his high with 11.
Ranked second nationally in three-point field goals, senior guard Brian Salzillo (North Haven) was 2-of-8 from three-point range to extend his streak to 49 games with at least one. He moved to within 15 points of the 1,000th point of his four-year career. Senior forward Mike Garrow (Terryville), who reached 1,000 career points this past Saturday, added 14 points and shared game-high rebounding honors with eight. Garrow was 8 of 9 from the foul line to improve his season percentage to 87.6 (78 of 89). Sophomore guard Trachone Preston (Enfield) added 13 points.
UMass Dartmouth was coming off consecutive conference road victories in its last two outings.
Freshman guard Tucker Bouchard scored 23 of his game-high 30 points in the second half to help the Corsairs whittle a 17-point halftime deficit to five, 63-58, with three minutes left, but Eastern scored its final 11 points from the foul line.
With Eastern leading by five with two minutes left, Garrow converted a layup and completed a three-point play with a free throw, and moments later sank three more free throws. Salzillo followed with a freebie with 50 seconds left as the Warriors restored their advantage to ten, 72-62.
Eastern hosts the University of Southern Maine Saturday at 3 p.m.
