SPRINGFIELD, Mass – Junior forward Quinton Lott (Bridgeport) and sophomore guard Cade Ensinger (Deep River) had career-highs in points and senior guard Thomas Close (East Hampton) tied his career-high in points and sank the game-winning three-point field goal in the final seconds as the Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball team built a 19-point lead late in the first half but later had to rally from a point down for a 73-70 non-conference victory over Springfield College Wednesday evening at Blake Arena.

The win is the third straight for Eastern (2-2) on Springfield's (0-3) home court and fourth in the last five meetings with the Pride after losing the first five games in the series against the Pride, who were playing their opening home game of the season.

Eastern had a double-digit lead with nine minutes left. Springfield rallied to take its only lead with 90 seconds left, but missed a three-pointer with 30 seconds left that would have made it a four-point lead, then couldn't convert the back end of a two-shot free throw that would have snapped a 70-all tie in the final seconds.

Lott grabbed the miss of the second free throw and sophomore guard Max Lee (Norwich) found Close open for what proved to be the game-winning three-pointer. Springfield's attempt to tie the game at the buzzer failed.

Eastern scored 18 points off ten Springfield turnovers – most of them unforced – and moved out to a 19-point lead with six minutes left in the first half after racing to an 11-point lead six minutes into play -- before settling for a nine-point, 33-24 halftime edge. The Warriors took a 14-point lead into the final nine minutes before the Pride rallied used a 20-7 run – getting nine points from sophomore guard Zeke Blauner and capitalizing on four Eastern turnovers to slice the Eastern lead to one, 66-65 with just over three minutes left.

Springfield took its first and last lead with 90 seconds left, 69-68, on an inside bucket from junior forward Panayiotis Kapanides – one of only two which he had in the game. Springfield had possession with a one-point lead after Eastern missed a three with 30 seconds left, but the Warriors were awarded the ball after it was knocked out of bounds, and Lott sank a go-ahead bucket while committing a foul to give Eastern a 70-69 lead with ten seconds left. Senior guard Collin Lindsay's resultant free throw tied the game but he missed the potential go-ahead second one and Lott grabbed the rebound to set up Close's heroics.

Lott recorded his fourth double-double in the last eight games with a game-tying 27 points and game-high 11 rebounds. Making his first start of the season after playing only 19 total minutes in the first three games, Ensinger had his second career game of double figures with a career-high 17 points. In a career-high 36 minutes, Ensinger was 6-for-11 from the floor, including a career-high 5-for-9 from distance and had four assists. Close scored 16 points for the third time in his career, and also had four three-pointers, five assists, and a season-high seven rebounds. He committed only one turnover in 39 minutes. Lee had a career-high eight assists as well as three rebounds and two steals an no turnovers in 30 minutes.

Lott, Ensinger and Close combined for all but 13 of the team's points and the Warriors turned the ball over only 12 minutes, compiled a +10 point differential off miscues. Eastern allowed the hosts only six offensive rebounds (Lott had eight by himself) and outscored Springfield by ten on second-chance opportunities.

Blauner matched Lott with 27 points and Lindsay had 17 as the duo combined to shoot 14-for-20 from the floor and 13-for-15 from the stripe for Springfield, coming off a 23-5 season and second-round appearance in the 2019-20 NCAA tournament.

Eastern visits Worcester State University in a non-conference game Saturday at 1 p.m