BOSTON, Mass. - Junior guard Jalen Jackson (Brick, N.J.) tallied a team-high 16 points including some clutch free throws down the stretch to lead the Western Connecticut State University men's basketball team to a 79-75 victory at UMass Boston in a Little East Conference battle on Wednesday evening.

With the win, the Wolves stretched their win streak to six games, improving to 16-1 overall and 8-1 in league play. The Beacons dropped to 13-6 and 6-4.

Senior forwards Jaheim Young (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Ryan Alkins (Queens, N.Y.) added 14 points apiece for the visitors, while classmate guard Kendall Robinson (Bellport, N.Y.) chipped in with 11. Sophomore guard Keeshawn Jones (Middletown, N.Y) collected a game-high five steals.

Malik Lorquet led the Beacons with game-highs of 19 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots.  Connor Walden contributed 17 points and six boards. 

Despite hitting just 4-of-24 (16 percent) of their three-point attempts, WestConn made up for it inside the paint with 34 points. The winners also scored 37 of their points off turnovers and racked up 23 fast break points. The hosts coughed the ball up 30 times, while the visitors committed only 15.

UMass Boston burst out the gate to capture a 13-7 lead. However, WestConn battled back to go on top, 19-18. With the score knotted up at 20-20, the Wolves erupted with an 11-0 run late in the first half. Senior forward Joe Brown (Brookfield, Conn.) finished off the flurry with a layup off a nifty pass from Jackson. WestConn would lead 31-22 at halftime.

The lead went back-and-forth many times in the second stanza. Robinson connected on a step-back trifecta from the top of the key to put the Wolves up 65-63 with 4:12 left on the clock. 

Young added a midrange jumper that found the twine, ballooning the advantage to seven with 2:43 remaining. The visitors led 74-72 when Alkins drew a flagrant foul with 18 seconds left. He sank the ensuing two free throws and Jackson followed up with another pair moments later to make it 78-72 with 15 to go. 

The Beacons wouldn't go away as they launched a deep three-pointer that banked home, slicing it to a three-point lead with seven ticks remaining. But Jackson drilled another shot from the charity stripe, setting the final score at 79-75. 

WestConn returns to action when they travel to UMass Dartmouth for another LEC matchup on Saturday at 3 p.m.