WESTON, Mass. - Chris Leak Jr. (New Haven, Conn.) finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds on the evening, but the impressive double-double was not enough as the Regis (Mass.) men's basketball team fell short to Mitchell College 71-67 Tuesday night at Higgins Court.
The win was the first for the Mariners on the 2016-2017 season, boosting the team's record to 1-12 (1-4 NECC) on the season. The Pride falls to 6-9 (3-3 NECC) with the defeat.
Leak Jr. finished just one rebound shy of completing his double-double in the opening half, closing out the period with 14 points and nine rebounds in just 11 minutes of action. The half featured five ties and five lead changes, but when the horn sounded for the break, the Pride trailed by a score of 30-29.
The teams continued to trade punches after emerging from their locker rooms. Neither team led by more than five points in the first 14 minutes of the second frame, with the game featuring 17 lead changes and 11 ties by the final buzzer.
With 12:26 remaining on the clock, junior Jawaun Lewis (Jacksonville, Fla.) threw down a powerful alley oop on the fast break from sophomore Ademola Afonja (Staten Island, N.Y.) to put the Pride ahead by a score of 48-47. The dunk electrified the Higgins Court crowd as well as the Pride bench, but the home side was unable to take advantage of the momentum to pull away from the visitors.
A balanced attack ultimately proved to be the deciding factor in Mitchell's first win of the season. Junior Alan Morgan (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) and sophomore Domenico Santiago (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) led the way for the Mariners with 14 points each, while fellow starters Mack Bertram-Gregory (Stockton, Calif.) and Brayvon Young (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) registered 13 and 12 points respectively in the win.
Next up for the Pride, the team will travel to Southern Vermont for a Saturday afternoon showdown with the Mountaineers at 3:00 p.m. The Mariners return to action on Thursday night when they host Wheelock at 6:00 p.m.
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