Box Score WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Senior guard Brian Salzillo (North Haven) converted five three-point field goals in the first half – the final one with 5:55 remaining giving him the 1,000th point of his career – as the Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball team remained undefeated in the Little East Conference with a 69-59 victory over the University of Southern Maine Saturday afternoon at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.
At right: Brian Salzillo
The win was the tenth for Eastern (11-4, 5-0 Little East) in the last 11 meetings with Southern Maine (5-10, 1-4 Little East) and was the fifth in six home games this season. The Warriors maintained a one-game lead over Rhode Island College in the conference standings, the Anchormen routing homestanding Plymouth State University, 58-41, Saturday.
Salzillo, the conference's leading scorer and ranked second nationally in three-point field goals, swished a three-pointer from the left side off a pass from sophomore Kevin Leumene (Stamford) for his 15th points of the game and 1,000th career point of his career with 5:55 left in the first half. The basket pushed the Warriors into a 24-22 lead.
Salzillo, who canned six of 13 three-pointers in the game, becomes the second Eastern player to reach 1,000 career points in a week, following senior forward Mike Garrow (Terryville), who reached the milestone in an LEC home win over Massachusetts Boston. The six-foot guard's first three-pointer on his first try two minutes into action gave him a three-point field goal in his last 50 games.
Eastern led by only two points at halftime, but Leumene sparked a second-half surge with 12 points. Salzillo scored seven of his eight second-half points in a 13-2 stretch with a three-pointer, layup and two free throws and Leumen made it 54-40 with an inside basket with nine minutes left in the game. The lead never dipped into double figures thereafter.
Following Salzillo's game-high total of 23 points, Leumene reached double figures for the first time in his career with 17 points in 24 minutes off the bench, outscoring USM's seven reserves by eight points. He was 5-of-9 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from three-point range. Freshman forward Hugh Lindo (Enfield) led all players with ten rebounds and Garrow completed the day with 12 points, six assists and five steals.
Sophomore guard Cole Libby led USM with 20 points and added six rebounds. Senior forward Conor Sullivan added ten points and five rebounds and junior forward James Odneal nine points and nine rebounds.
Eastern hosts Keene State College Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
