WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Top-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University received double digit scoring from five players en route to an 86-58 victory over fifth-seeded University of Massachusetts Boston in the semifinal round of the 2017 Little East Conference men's basketball tournament Friday evening at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.

Four-time defending regular-season champion Eastern (19-8) meets second-seeded Keene State College (19-8) in Saturday's 2 p.m. championship game. The Owls scored the final 22 points in Friday's second semifinal to roll past third-seeded Massachusetts Dartmouth (17-10), 

Keene and Eastern will meet in the title game for the first time and features the top-rated offensive team (Keene) in the conference against the No. 1 defensive squad.

The Owls are 3-6 in championship game appearances, having defeated Rhode Island College and UMass Dartmouth in the 2015 and 2016 championship games on Eastern's home floor after losing six of their first seven championship game appearances. The Warriors are 3-3 when reaching the title contests, last winning in 2012 at home against Rhode Island College.

Now 11-2 at home this year, Eastern split the regular-season pair against Keene, losing at Keene, 99-92 Jan. 25 before routing the Owls, 74-53, nine days ago, to earn its fourth regular-season title in the last five years. Keene is 4-7 on its opponent's home floor this year.

Eastern senior forward Hugh Lindo (Enfield) enjoyed a remarkable game when Eastern defeated UMass Boston (14-13) for the third time this year Friday, pacing five double-figure scorers. The 6-foot-4 inch Lindo had 11 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists, four blocks and three steals in 37 minutes in recording his18th double-double of the season. Fourteen of his rebounds came in the first half.

 Junior guard Tarchee Brown (Rockville) of Eastern led all scorers with 19 points and also chipped in four rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks. Sophomore guard Tyrell Arnum (Bloomfield) tied his career high with 16 points (7-of-11 from the floor) and sophomore point guard Jaysen Nunez (Hartford) and junior guard Kendall Marquez (Willimantic) came off the bench for 12 points each, Nunze sinking a pair of three-pointers and also handing out six assists. Marquez was 4-of-9 from three-point range, tossing in his of his points in the first half.

Five players combined to block a season-high ten shots for Eastern.

Following a close first half where Eastern led by no more than ten points and had to settle for a six-point halftime lead, the Warriors slowly pulled away in the second half, eventually leading by as much as 31 points late in the game. Brown (11) and Nunez (10) helped carry Eastern to its 50-point second half, with Lindo collecting six assists, six rebounds and three blocks in the second half.

Senior forward Dan Powers led UMass with 11 points and 12-rebound, but was held scoreless from the floor and to only two points and one rebound after the break. Senior forward Sam Freeman had 16 points and eight rebounds, but managed only 3-of-9 from the floor. He was 10-of-12 from the stripe. Freshman Alex Sanchez had  14 points and three steals.

Eastern's defense held the UMass Boston offense to 27.8 percent shooting from the floor Friday and to 32.8 percent in three games this year.

Eastern will play the winner of semifinal #2 between Keene State College and UMass-Dartmouth in Saturday's LEC championship game at 2 p.m. at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium in Willimantic.

Keene State College 85, UMass Dartmouth 67

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – In a game which featured nine ties and ten lead changes, second-seeded  Keene State College scored the final 22 points of the game over the last seven minutes to move into the

championship game of the Little East Conference men's basketball tournament for the third straight year with an 85-67 decision over third-seeded Massachusetts Dartmouth Friday night at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.

Keene (19-8) faces No. 1 seeded host Eastern Connecticut State University (19-8), which defeated fifth-seeded Massachusetts Boston, 86-58, in Friday's first semifinal. Keene has won the last two championships on the floor of No. 1 Eastern, defeating Rhode Island College in 2015 and UMass Dartmouth last year. Eastern and Keene are meeting in the title game for the first time.

Trailing by four with seven minutes left, Keene ran off the final 22 points of the game, getting points from six different players. Senior forward Jeff Lunn  scored six of his 12 second-half points in the decisive run, senior guard Matt Ozzella adding five. On their final 13 possessions, UMass missed nine shots and turned the ball over four times.

Keene forced 17 UMass turnovers, outscoring the Corsairs by 11 points off miscues, and outscored UMD by ten points from the foul line after being awarded 16 more free throws.

Keene sophomore guard Ty Nichols, who missed six minutes in the second half after picking up his third personal foul, led all players with 25 points, Lunn adding 21 and senior forward Jaquel Edwards 11.  Ozzella led all players with eight rebounds, senior guard Lucas Hammel chipping in eight points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals.

Senior guard Chris Menendes  led the Corsairs with 16 points, sophomore forward Atakan Akcam and junior guard Tucker Bouchard each finishing with ten.