Box Score
GORHAM, Maine – Eastern Connecticut State University's inability to apply  the dagger when it had several opportunities to do so in the first half allowed the University of Southern Maine to do what it does best over the final eight minutes of the game as the host Huskies remained undefeated at home  this year in posting an 81-70 Little East Conference men's basketball victory Saturday afternoon at the Warren Hill Gymnasium.
 
With an opportunity to move over the .500 mark after recording LEC wins in its last two outings, Eastern (11-5, 3-4 LEC) couldn't fully capitalize despite leading by nine points four times late in the first half. In the second half, Southern Maine (10-6, 5-2 LEC) resorted to its tried-and-true tactic by sinking free throws as the Huskies outscored Eastern by 14 points over the final eight minutes in  defeating the Warriors for the fifth straight time, including the fourth in a row on their home court.
 
In that 21-7 scoring run that turned a three-point deficit into an 11-point win, Southern Maine scored nine of its points on ten free throw attempts, canning 18 of 22 from the stripe in the second half.
 
Senior guard Dominick Dao (Terryville) swished two free throws after being fouled while on a drive after stealing the ball with 3:03 left, but those free throws would be the final points for Eastern. USM scored the final ten points of the game, going six-for-six from the foul line over the final 87 seconds to seal its fourth straight (LEC) win and seventh in its last eight games following a 3-5 start.
 
Ranked second in the LEC in free throw shooting, USM was 25-of-30 from the stripe, and the LEC leader in field goal percentage shot 46.4 percent from the floor, hitting its season scoring average on the head against an Eastern team ranked first in the conference in least points allowed (70.3 per game).
 
Trailing by two in the first half, Eastern threatened to take control of the game with a 12-2 scoring burst – senior guard Ray Carter (Springfield, MA) hitting back-to-back three-pointers – put them up, 29-21,  with just under eight minutes left.  Behind Carter's 16 first-half points, the Warriors pushed the lead to as many as nine points four times in the final seven minutes but could not shake the Huskies, who made it a four-point game at the half (42-38) by scoring the final five points off a defensive rebound and inside bucket by senior guard Thomas Whalen, and after an Eastern miss, a three-pointer by freshman guard Carter Galley.
 
Ranked third in the LEC in free throw percentage among those with at least 50 attempts, and second in scoring, Whalen missed only one of ten free throws in the game and reached his scoring average with a game-high 23 points. Although Whalen is the only USM player ranked among the LEC's Top 16 in scoring, the Huskies got 20 points from Galley – nearly double his season average. Galley was 7-of-10 from the floor (2-of-3 from distance) and 4-of-4 from the foul line.
 
Carter totalled a season-high 22 points, with his six second-half points coming in a span of a minute when he sank back-to-back jumpers 30 seconds apart and two free throws seconds later that gave Eastern its final lead (63-60) lead with eight minutes left. It proved to be Eastern's final hurrah, however. The momentum swung permanently  in USM's favor when the Huskies ran off the next eight points  to move out to a five-point, 68-63 lead with eight minutes left. At that point, Galley connected on two free throws and sophomore wing Evans Sterling scored inside to give the Huskies the lead for good, 64-63, with 6:29 left. An Eastern turnover  gave the ball back to USM, and Sterling hit a basket while being fouled. He missed the free throw, but another Eastern turnover on its next possession set up Galley for another basket that made it 68-63 with just under six minutes left.
 
After shooting 47.1 percent in the first half, Eastern managed only 31.3 percent when it was outscored by 15 points over the final 20 minutes.
 
Behind Carter's 22 points, senior forward Jalen Hamblin (West Hartford) had 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Junior forward Julian Sanchez (Willimantic) came off the bench in the opening minutes and totalled nine points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes. Junior forward Drew Soltis (Bridgeport) led both teams with ten rebounds but it wasn't enough as the LEC's team leader in rebounding margin (+10.7) was outrebounded (by three) for only the third time this year.
 
Senior guard Michael Carothers (Queens, NY), the New England leader in assists, equalled his average with six helpers to go along with five rebounds. Dao had eight points, five assists and three rebounds.
 
Eastern hosts Rhode Island College (8-8, 4-3 LEC) Wednesday at 7 p.m. Since a 7-3 start, RIC is 1-5 and is coming off Saturday's 77-64 home loss to the University of Massachusetts Boston.