Box Score BOSTON – Unable to find its shooting stroke from behind the three-point line, the Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball team outscored the University of Massachusetts Boston by 18 points in the paint to remain the only unbeaten team in the Little East Conference with a 79-58 victory Saturday afternoon at the Clark Athletic Center.
Now 43-4 over the last four seasons in LEC regular-season play, three-time defending regular-season champion Eastern (11-5, 5-0 LEC) rode senior forward Hugh Lindo's (Enfield) 43rd career double-double (tenth of the season) to its 17th consecutive win over UMass Boston (10-5, 3-2 LEC). The Beacons are in the midst of one of their finest seasons in program history but were unable to derail the Warriors, who won for the seventh straight time this year and are 10-1 since a 1-4 start.
UMB had a three-game winning streak ended after losing for only the second time in seven home contests this year.
The Warriors failed on 15 of 17 three-point field goal attempts in the game but won the battle inside, outscoring the Beacons 46-28 in the paint.
The 6-foot-4 inch Lindo, a 1,000-point scorer and the program career leader in rebounds and blocked shots, reached double figures in points for the eight straight game, finishing with a game-high 29 (one shy of his career high).He was 12-of-17 from the floor to push his season percentage over .500 to .511 and also had a team-high ten rebounds, and chipped in three blocks, three assists and two steals.
Lindo paced four double-digit scorers. Junior guard Tarchee Brown (Rockville) totaled 18 points, freshman point guard Carlos Gonzalez (Springfield, MA) 11 and sophomore guard Tyrell Arnum (Bloomfield) ten. Brown and Gonzalez each had six rebounds and Arnum, the season assist leader, tied his career high with seven.
Senior forward Dan Powers led UMB with 17 points and 15 rebounds but was the only Beacon in double figures in points and only player with more than five rebounds. The Beacons managed just 31.7 percent from the floor against Eastern, the LEC leader in field goal percentage defense and scoring defense.
Eastern visits Western Connecticut State University Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.
