WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Home is where the heart is for Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball who played just their second home game in their last seven games on Saturday afternoon at Geissler Gymnasium against University of Southern Maine.
 
Behind a 21-point second half from junior guard Meikyle Murray (Bronx, NY) en route to a 28-point performance, the Warriors (15-7, LEC 10-4) overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat the Huskies (9-13, LEC 4-9), 75-61, in the first of two games in three days between the two Little East Conference squads. The win improved Eastern's home record to 12-1 on the season.
 
With two LEC regular season games remaining, the Warriors trail conference-leading UMass Dartmouth (11-2 LEC) by a game and a half and are currently tied for second in the conference with Keene State (10-4 LEC). Plymouth State (9-5 LEC), winners of six consecutive conference games, sit in fourth place one game back of Eastern.
 
The Warriors have secured a top-four spot in the conference and will host a first-round LEC tournament game on February 22^nd.
 
Never leading for the opening 20 minutes, Eastern trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half with 5:28 remaining before pulling back within eight as the end of the half drew close. Sophomore guard Trevor Ward knocked down two of his three free throw attempts after being fouled by sophomore guard Max Lee (Norwich) at the buzzer, reclaiming the double-digit lead for the Huskies, 41-31, heading into the locker room.
 
Ward and sophomore guard Chance Dixon led the way for Southern Maine in the first half with 16 points and 10 points respectively as the Huskies shot 15-of-27 (55.6 percent) from the floor, including 6-of-11 (54.5 percent) from three-point range en route to their halftime lead.
 
Trailing by 11 points with 16:11 left in the game, Murray and senior guard Tyreice Woods (Hartford) combined for 18 of the next 20 points the Warriors scored with Murray netting 12 of those points as part of a 23-6 run spanning 11 minutes to take a 60-54 lead with 5:59 remaining.
 
Eastern's first lead of the game came with 9:21 remaining after a bank shot three-pointer from Murray several feet beyond the arc made it 52-51. Three consecutive points from first-year forward Michael Connolly helped the Huskies regain a two-point advantage, 54-52, briefly before back-to-back threes from Murray and junior guard Jalen Williams (Simsbury) put the Warriors ahead for good.
 
Leading by five with 3:54 left in regulation, Williams knocked down another three followed by a fastbreak score from Murray to bring Eastern's lead up to double-digits for the first time, 67-57, with just over three minutes to go.
 
The Huskies were unable to threaten over the final three minutes while Murray scored seven more points in the final 1:10 of the game, including five of six free throws, as the Warriors outscored Southern Maine by 24 points in the second half to earn the victory, 75-61, at home.
 
After combining for 26 first half points on 9-of-15 shooting, the guard duo of Chance Dixon and Trevor Ward were held to eight second half points on a combined 3-of-8 shooting. Ward finished with a team-high 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
 
Eastern's defense held the fast-paced Huskies' offense to just 8-of-23 (34.8 percent) shooting, including 2-of-8 (25 percent) from three, in the second half while forcing 11 turnovers over the final 20 minutes, giving them a total of 18 forced turnovers on the afternoon. The Warriors scored 22 points off Southern Maine turnovers compared to just 11 points on nine turnovers for the Huskies who only forced three turnovers in the second half after creating six turnover opportunities in the first half.
 
Spearheaded by the bench play of Meikyle Murray, Eastern's bench held a 28-8 scoring margin over Southern Maine and 40-28 advantage in the paint.
 
Jalen Williams finished with 13 points extending his double-digit scoring streak to 10 consecutive games this season.
 
Thomas Close added 10 points, including seven second half points, on 4-of-7 shooting (2-of-3 from three).
 
The Warriors play the second game of their home-and-home series against Southern Maine in a Little East Conference matchup scheduled for Monday at Warren Hill Gymnasium. Tip off is scheduled for 7:00 PM.