Springfield, Mass. – November 21, 2023 – Behind a career-high 21 points from sophomore forward Josiah Evely (Toronto, Ontario), the Springfield College men's basketball team earned a 66-60 non-conference win over Eastern Connecticut State University in the program's 2023-24 home opener on Tuesday night.

Springfield evened out its record to 2-2 on the year, while Eastern Connecticut moved to 1-4 this season.

In addition to his 21 points, Evely, who shot at a 7-for-10 clip from the floor and was a perfect 5-for-5 at the free throw line, added eight boards, two assists and four blocks in the win. Junior Gary Bess (Miami, Fla.) tallied 15 points, seven rebounds and two assists and sophomore John Paulino (New Bedford, Mass.) added 13 points, four rebounds, two assists and five steals for the Pride. Junior Curtiss Blische (Barkhamsted, Conn.) also notched 12 rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block and nine points for Springfield.

After a back and forth opening 15 minutes of play the score stood even at 21-21 following a pair of free throws by Bess. That kickstarted a 14-2 run that spanned 2:15 and was capped on a dunk by Paulino which forced the Warriors to call a timeout. The run featured six points from Paulino, five from Bess and three from Evely. Out of the timeout, both squads traded points as Springfield held an eight point advantage at 38-30 heading into the break.

Eastern Connecticut came out of the locker room and produced a 14-6 spurt that eventually knotted the score at 44-44 with 12:43 to play in regulation. Out of a Springfield timeout, Dominick Dao buried a shot from behind the arc giving the Warriors a 47-44 edge. The lead was traded five times over the next six minutes and after a jumper by Paulino cut Springfield deficit back to three the Pride called a timeout. A trey by Evely with 4:17 left evened the score at 59-59. Two minutes later a free throw by Blische and a jumper by Evely gave Springfield a 62-59 advantage, a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Paulino buried a jump shot and Evely converted twice at the charity stripe for the 66-60 final.

As a team, Springfield shot at a 47.2-percent clip from the floor (25-for-53) and held a 39-21 advantage on the glass. The Pride also turned 15 Warriors turnovers into 14 points.

Springfield will take a break for Thanksgiving and will next return to the court on Monday, November 27 with a non-conference exhibition matchup at Division I Bryant University at 7:00 pm.

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