Plymouth Men Victorious on Senior Night--Turn Focus Toward Playoff

PLYMOUTH, N.H.-  The Plymouth State men's basketball team dominated Western Connecticut State University 78-59 Saturday evening on the team's senior night. The Panthers had four players score in double figures, and will prepare for an LEC quarterfinals matchup at Keene State Tuesday night.

PSU got out to a fast start, earning an early 12-2 advantage on the visitors. In addition to multiple three-pointers from Kevin Eisenberg, a deep three from Alex Burt widened the early lead to 17-8.

The Colonials were able to finish the half strong, narrowing the margin to 38-33 with a minute to play in the first frame on the shoulders of a late three pointer from junior Mark Laporte. However, Eisenberg came right back with a three of his own to give the Panthers an eight point lead heading into the locker room.

Despite WCSU's best efforts, Plymouth coasted to a victory in the second half, never letting the lead get below ten for the final 11 minutes. The strong play and start-to-finish lead can be attributed to the Panther's sensational shooting on the night, managing a 56 percent field goal percentage to along with a 46.7 percentage clip from beyond the arc.

Plymouth had a number of memorable performances on the night. Eisenberg led the charge for the home team, pouring in 19 points, including five three-pointers. Junior Petey Skevas also had a great game, scoring 16 points of his own, while burt and Shomari Morgan had 11 and 15 points respectively. Star freshman Uche Nwokeji barely missed another double-double, chipping in nine points and 10 rebounds. Junior Mark MacGregor also had a solid showing, finishing with eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

The win improved Plymouth's record to 3-10 in the LEC and 7-18 overall. The win also moved the Panthers into a tie with WCSU for sixth place in the LEC standings. As a result, the two teams participated in a coin toss following the game to decide sixth place in the tournament. Plymouth eventually won the toss, and will travel to third-seeded Keene State Tuesday night for a quarterfinals matchup, while the Colonials, the seventh seed, will battle the second-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University.