WILLIMANTIC, Conn. –   Freshman guard AJ Edwards (New Haven) scored all 24 of his game-high points after the half, and freshman guard Max Lee's (Norwich) first career three-pointer proved to be the game-winning with 16 seconds left in overtime as the Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball team erased a 20-point deficit with just over eight minutes left in regulation to post an 87-85 Little East Conference  overtime verdict over the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Saturday afternoon at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.
 
The win is Eastern's (4-2, 2-2 LEC) fourth in the last eight days while UMass (5-2, 5-2 LEC) lost for the second time in three games after racing to an early 4-0 start. The Corsairs were playing their first game in six days.
 
Edwards, scoreless on one shot in six first-half minutes, erupted for 20 points in the second half and opened Eastern's scoring in overtime with an inside basket and two free throws. Still, a pair of free throws by UMD's John Martins with 1:39 left in overtime gave the Corsairs a four-point, 85-81 lead but the Warriors shut them out the rest of the game. The Corsairs had the ball and a chance to add to its four-point lead, but missed the front end of a one-and-one and Eastern junior guard Tyreice Woods (Hartford) sank two free throws to make it a two-point game. After UMD missed a jumper, Lee swished a corner three-pointer on his fourth career attempt on an assist from Edwards for the eventual game-winner that gave Eastern an 86-85 lead.
 
The Warriors outscored UMD, 27-7, over the final 8:21 of regulation to force overtime, 77-77. UMD led by five and had the ball with 1:41 left in regulation,but Lee stole the ball and found Edwards for a three-pointer that cut the deficit to two, 75-73, with 1:11 left. Free throws by first-year sophomore transfer Quinton Lott (Bridgeport) – who was fouled on an offensive rebounds -- with 36.9 seconds left, and Edwards with 20.7 left gave the Warriors a two-point, 77-75 lead but the Corsairs forced overtime when Jackson Zancan grabbed the airball of a contested three-point attempt and put it in as the horn ending regulation sounded.
 

Edwards, who had totaled 28 points in the season's first five games, converted ten of 11 free throws and also made five steals to lead the Warriors Saturday. Lott posted a career scoring high for the second consecutive game with 22 points and grabbed a career-tying 12 rebounds for his first career double-double. Lott was 7-for-8 from the floor and 8-for-11 from the stripe.  Woods added ten points, sinking all four of his free throws as the Warriors converted 24 of 30 from the stripe and outscored the visitors by 18 from the foul line.
 
In 12 minutes off the bench (all after the break), Lee had six steals and a rebound and blocked shot to go along with his game-winning three-pointer.
 
UMass shot 54.5 percent from the floor in rolling up its 11-point, 42-31 halftime lead.  Cashing in on a succession of open layups and transition baskets, the Corsairs used a ten-point scoring run over two minutes in the second half to roll up a 19-point, 58-39 lead six minutes into the second half. Junior forward Sean Leahy  came off the bench to score all six of his of his second-half points in that stretch to key the burst.
 
Edwards tossed in 19 of his points over the final 8:21 that sparked the comeback from 20 points down. He canned two three-points, completed a three-point play with a free throw and was 9-of-10 from the stripe. On its final 20 possessions of regulation, UMD missed nine of 12 field goals and turned the ball over eight times.
 
UMass was assessed nearly twice as many fouls as Eastern and went to the line only eight times (making six). Two UMD players fouled out in the final four minutes of regulation and a third with 1.2 seconds left in overtime. Eastern senior guard Cory Muckle (Westbrook) helped contain UMD scoring leader Marcus Azor to four points on only two field goal tries (12 points below his season average) before the junior guard left the game with five personal fouls and  his team leading by eight with 3:53 left in regulation.
 
The Corsairs allowed 20 points more than their season defensive average.
 
Junior guard Adam Seablom led UMD with 23 points (10-for-18 FG), with senior guard Jake Ashworth  adding 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists and Leahy contributed 13 points off the bench on 6-for-6 field goal shooting.
 
UMass hosts Eastern Sunday at 1 p.m.