Simpson Leads Panthers in Loss

COURTESY PHOTO

The Panthers took on the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Corsairs at home this past Saturday in a conference matchup. Going into it, Plymouth knew they would be facing a tough opponent with a 16-6 record and a 10-3 record in the Little East Conference. However, the Panthers had just beaten the University of Massachusetts Boston three days earlier in a nail biter, so the team was in a mode of confidence.

The game started off slow for both teams as they struggled to find their groove with Plymouth leading 6-4. Junior Jaylen LeRoy (Manchester NH) gave the Panthers their first six points, but neither teams would lead would more than three points until the eleventh minute of the game. Joe Simpson (Manchester NH) hit his first three of the game pushing Plymouth to 23-17 but the Corsairs took over and to go on an 8-0 run. The half would end on a 9-4 run in Plymouth’s favor that started on a layup by senior Mark DiLauro (North Branford, CT). The Panthers would lead 40-31 at the half with big scoring coming from Simpson, leading with 11 points. Freshman Manny Alisandro (Manchester, NH) would lead the team with 7 rebounds to help give the team’s field goal percentage at 50%, while the three-point percentage was 42.9% and the team shot perfect from the free-throw line.

The second half started frantically for the Panthers and even with their lead, they lost it quickly as the UMass tied the game up at 42, in the first three minutes. Plymouth would regain the lead and hold a multiple basket advantage for the next six minutes. Eventually, Plymouth would string multiple shots together which led to an 11-point lead and a score of 62-51. Unfortunately, that’s where it would start to fall apart for the Panthers as the Corsairs would make a push of their own 72-71. Even with a close score, the Corsairs would have little resistance for the rest of the game as they would go on the win 88-81. Dante Rivera (Methuen, MA) ended the game with the most points and assists on the team, 18 and 8 respectively. The Panthers ended up being outrebounded 41-34, though they would lead in assists (20-17), steals (10-8), and blocks (3-2).

The Panthers played against Southern Maine this past Wednesday and won 102-86, a big win to help clinch an LEC playoff appearance.