NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's men's basketball team used a 15-0 run early in the first half to erase an eight-point deficit and went on to defeat visiting Eastern Connecticut State University, 100-88, in the second game of a Little East Conference doubleheader at the Tripp Athletic Center Saturday afternoon.

With the win, defending regular-season champion UMass (20-3, 10-2 little east)) ends Eastern's (11-12, 5-7 little east) three-game winning streak and remains one game off the pace behind defending playoff champion Rhode Island College. Eastern is in sixth place in the eight-team conference, one game behind Western Connecticut and Keene State College, both at 6-6. The top four teams in the final LEC standings host first-round tournament games later this month.

UMass, which completes a season sweep of Eastern with its sixth straight win over the Warriors, entered the game ranked 15th nationally in the d3hoops.com poll.

Eastern took an early eight-point lead behind three-pointers by sophomore guard Courtney Simmons (Middletown, Conn.), freshman guard Nick Nedwick (Irvington, N.Y.) and junior guard Edwin Ortiz (Hartford, Conn.).

Ortiz became the 22nd player in program history to score 1,000 points. He entered the game with 990 and reached and went over 1,000 points with a three-point field goal with 13:45 left in the game. The three-pointer was his third of five in the game. Ortiz had a three-poiinter and two free throws in the first half, then pulled to within two of 1,000 with a three-pointer four minutes into the second half.

UMass Dartmouth fought back. A jump shot by junior forward Brandon Shelton and a three-pointer by junior guard Jeff Macchi helped them cut the lead to 14-11. After senior guard Reece Freeman hit a pair of free throws, sophomore forward Brandon Stephens scored eight consecutive points on a jumper and a pair of treys to make it 21-14 with 13:21 remaining. A jumper by Eastern freshman forward Jamie Kohn (Columbia, Conn.) and a free throw by freshman center Jeremy Thompson (Berlin, Conn.) allowed Eastern to tie the game at 23-23 midway through the first half. But Shelton sandwiched a pair of a pair of jump shots around a three-pointer by freshman guard Alex Klepadlo, and the Corsairs built a 30-23 advantage and never trailed again.

A 9-0 Corsair run, which included a pair of layups by junior forward Matt Walker, a three-pointer by Macchi and a driving layup by Freeman, allowed UMass Dartmouth to claim a 52-38 lead at intermission. The Warriors outscored UMD in the second half, 50-48, but Walker's jump shot in the final minute capped the scoring for the Corsairs, who scored 100 points for the first time this season.

Stephens led all scorers with 27 points, Freeman added 18, and Walker, Shelton and Macchi contributed 15 points apiece. Ortiz led Eastern Connecticut with 17 points. Kohn added 16 points -- his first double-digit game since Jan. 17 -- and Thompson scored 11. Walker had nine rebounds and Freeman for the Corsairs, but sophomore forward Bill Roveto (South Windsor) had 10 for ECSU -- one shy of his career high -- as the Warriors out rebounded UMass Dartmouth, 36-35. Freeman also had nine assists, while Simmons had 13 for Eastern.

Eastern hosts Keene State College Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in its final regular-season home game of the year.

                                          --UMass Dartmouth Sports Information--