DANBURY, Conn. - Rookie guard Jaeden Bull (Wilmington, Del.) came off the bench to score a game-high 20 points and senior forward Nick Boyce (Jamaica, N.Y.) earned his 1,000th career collegiate point as the Western Connecticut State University men's basketball squad outlasted visiting Little East Conference foe UMass Boston, 80-73, in overtime at Stephen Feldman Arena on Wednesday evening.

WestConn junior guards Elijah Jean-Guillaume (New Haven, Conn.) and Tayejon Lynch (Cambria Heights, N.Y.) joined Bull in doubles figures with 13 points apiece. Lynch also snagged a game-high five steals. 

Junior forward Skyler Venezia (N. Haledon, N.J.) paced the Beacons with 19 points of which 14 came from a scorching first half display of 4-of-6 from three point land. The Wolves clamped down on him in the second half as he finished the contest 5-of-15 from beyond-the-arc. Sophomores Raphel Laurent (Peabody, Mass.) and Cameron Perkins (Danbury, Conn.) added 16 and 15 points, respectively.

The hosts dominated the interior as they converted 44 points from inside the paint while the visitors managed just 18. WestConn also sank 44 percent of their shots from the floor while UMass Boston connected on 31 percent of their attempts. 

The contest was close throughout much of the first half before the Wolves put together a spurt. Sophomore guard Nicholas Moore (Buffalo, N.Y.) drained a free three throw, giving the hosts a 36-28 halftime lead.

They widened the gap to their largest lead of the game when Lynch began second half play with a layup. The Beacons then retaliated with a 16-3 run to earn a 44-41 lead when Laurent drilled a trifecta. The game remained tight the rest of regulation. Laurent canned a pair from the stripe to put the visitors up 64-61 with 41 seconds remaining. Lynch then drove the lane and scooped a layup off the glass while being hacked. After he nailed the ensuing free throw attempt to complete the three-point play and knot the count at 64-64, the Beacons would attempt to hold for the last shot. Perkins missed a long range three-pointer from well above the top of the key but got his own rebound before being blocked on the layup attempt with one second to go. The Beacons came out of the timeout and would inbound the ball for one last chance from under the WestConn hoop. A miscommunication by the Wolves left Laurent all alone for a point blank layup which he missed, giving the Wolves new life with an overtime session.

It was all WestConn in the extra stanza.  After a midrange jumper from Boyce gave them a 68-66 lead, Lynch connected on an NBA-range three-pointer from the left wing to make it 71-66 with 2:45 to go. The Beacons surged to deadlock the count at 71-71 when Laurent buried a pair of free throws with 2:02 left. However, WestConn would close out the contest with a 9-2 run. Bull put the finishing touches on the flurry with a free throw before the Wolves allowed Perkins to go coast-to-coast for the final bucket at the buzzer to round the scoring out at 80-73.

With the victory, WestConn improved to 16-5 overall and 9-3 in league play, while the Beacons fell to 13-8 and 9-3. The Wolves hit the road for their next three games beginning at LEC opponent Vermont State University Casleton on Monday at 7 p.m.