GORHAM, Maine – Senior guard Kenny Stewart scored with 31 seconds left in regulation to the Plymouth State up for good as they defeated conference opponent University of Southern Maine by a score of 80-77 last Tuesday night at Hill Gym. Plymouth State improved to 16-5 overall and 8-3 in the conference, while Southern Maine slipped to 2-18 and 1-10. Sophomore guard Nick Pelotte led the Panthers with a game-high 24 points, while Stewart contributed 14 points and sophomore forward Anthony Oglesby added 11 points. Oglesby was also recently named the Little East Player of the Week for his outstanding play in Plymouth’s games against Johnson and Wales and Western Connecticut. The battle for supremacy in the Little East Conference came to a boiling point in Foley Gymnasium on the chilly Saturday afternoon of February 8, when the Western Connecticut State University’s men’s basketball team came to Plymouth State College to take on the Panthers. This was the second and final match up of the regular season for the then conference co-leaders, and this one may have given the deciding edge as the Western Connecticut Colonials swept the series, knocking the Panthers down to second with an 80-62 victory. Western Conn. was down shortly in the first half, but an early 12-3 run provided them with the lead that they held for the rest of the game. The Colonials were led by some great offensive effort, highlighted by sophomore guard Jay Reginatto (21 points, 7 assists) and on the defensive side by sophomore forward Kimani Crawford and senior guard Casey Bock (3 steals each). While having a decisive advantage in rebounds (60-24), Plymouth was plagued by turnovers (28), especially late in the game which eventually led to a 16-4 Western Connecticut run in the final four minutes of the game. The Panthers were led by sophomore forward Anthony Oglesby (15 points, 9 rebounds), who put forth outstanding effort throughout the game, and senior guard Kenny Stewart (11 points). It seemed that Plymouth would regain the lead nearing the end of the first half when Oglesby had a hand in five consecutive baskets, starting off with a steal that led to a breakaway lay-up. The score at half time was Western Conn. 40 to Plymouth 35. The teams came out with even more spirit in the second half, and Plymouth got a defensive boost from junior center Ryan Chicoine, who finished with three blocks in the game. Poor shooting (30.8%) from the floor proved costly for Plymouth along with the turnovers and they sunk only one three-pointer in the game, one of the nine field goals sunk by Plymouth in the second half. The Colonials seemed to have trouble keeping the Panthers at bay for most of the second half, only leading by two or three points at some times, until the last five minutes of the game where Plymouth had trouble connecting on passes and hitting the net. Western Conn. connected on 45.6 percent of their field goals, and contained Plymouth for most of the game. While the outcome of the game was decidedly different that the first meeting between these teams in terms of point differential (Western Conn. won 87-83), the game itself was very close. The Panthers fought hard throughout the match up, but costly game-breaking turnovers came far too easily to the Colonials and cost the Panthers the victory. The Plymouth State College men’s basketball team will travel to play Little East conference opponent UMass Boston on Saturday, February 15 at 3 p.m. The Panthers will then return home on Tuesday, February 18 against LEC archrivals Keene State College with the game starting at 7:30 p.m.
Plymouth State University
Thursday, June 26, 2025