Willimantic, Conn. - November 16, 2022 - A 15-4 run in the final four-plus minutes of the first half fueled the Eastern Connecticut men's basketball team to a 71-54 victory over visiting Springfield College on Wednesday night in non-conference play.

The Warriors evened their record to 2-2 on the year, while Springfield slipped to 1-3.

John Paulino (New Bedford, Mass.) produced a team-best 18 points and hauled in six rebounds for the Pride.  Zach Falkenburg (Bridgeport, N.Y.) tallied 10 points off the bench and Andrew Rocci (Plymouth, Mass.) registered 11 rebounds in a game where Springfield held a 47-35 edge on the glass.  The Pride finished the game shooting 23-for-71 (32%) and 4-of-19 from deep.    

After falling behind 18-9 midway through the first half, Springfield would put together a 12-0 run over a three-plus minute span to snag a 21-18 advantage following a bucket from Nick Bray (Hartford, Conn.).  However, the hosts would respond with a 15-4 push in the final 4:38 of the stanza to head into the halftime break with a 33-25 cushion. 

Just over five minutes into the second half, the Warriors extended their lead to 50-30, but the Pride was able to cut it to 62-50 with 3:25 on the clock after five-straight points from Falkenburg.  However, ECSU was able to outscore the visitors by a 9-4 margin down the stretch to hold on for the victory.

The Pride will return to Blake Arena next Tuesday for a 6 pm contest with Keene State.

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