WESTON, Mass. - The Regis (Mass.) men's basketball team carried an eight-point lead into the half, but was unable to seal the deal on Sunday evening, as the Pride fell to the Wheaton (Mass.) Lyons by a score of 73-70 in Regis' home opener.
With the loss, the Pride falls to 2-3 on the young season, while the Lyons move to 3-2 thanks to the win.
A 16-7 run in the closing 5:17 of the first half turned a 17-16 Pride deficit into a momentum-shifting 32-24 lead as the teams went to the locker room, but the lead was short-lived once the teams re-emerged. Three pointers from the Lyons' Timothy Berry (Sterling, Mass.) and David Carbonello (Windham, N.H.) in the beginning of the second half brought the game to a 32-32 tie 4:15 into the period.
The Lyons would go on to extend their lead to as much as eight with just under five minutes to play, but just as their counterparts had previously, the Pride quickly erased the eight point lead, tying the game at 60 on a fast break bucket by Shaun Wingfield (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) with 2:25 remaining.
The Pride's ultimate downfall came in its inability to convert on a handful of free throws down the stretch. The team shot just 53% (17 for 32) from the charity stripe, while Wheaton went 27 for 39 (69%) at the line. After the game was tied at 60, 11 of the Lyons' 13 final points came on free throws to seal with one possession win.
Pride sophomore guard Jordan Seldon (Everett, Mass.) led all scorers on the night with 18 points in his team's losing effort. Ademola Afonja (Staten Island, N.Y.), with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Chris Leak Jr. (New Haven, Conn.), with 12 points and 12 rebounds, also had strong outings for the Pride with double-doubles. For the Lyons, freshman Alex DuBrow (Foxboro, Mass.) led the way with 13 points, with Quinton Dale (Winthrop, Mass; 11 points, 11 rebounds) contributing a double-double.
Next up for the Pride, they will look to return to .500 in their New England Collegiate Conference opener at home against Southern Vermont on Thursday evening. Tip off is slated for 8:00 p.m. Wheaton plays again on Tuesday evening with a road game at Framingham State.
#RegisMBB