BROOKLINE, Mass. – Regis College took the early lead and maintained it until the second half, when Newbury College briefly pulled ahead, but the Pride battled back to reclaim the advantage and held on for a 95-91 victory over the Nighthawks Monday night in a non-conference men's collegiate basketball game at Pappas Gymnasium.
Jordan Seldon (Dorchester, Mass.) tied his career high with 25 points, hitting 8-of-13 shots from the field and all seven of his free throw attempts, plus he collected five rebounds and five assists. Ademola Afonja (Staten Island, N.Y.) finished with exactly 21 points for the fourth time this season, Shawn Wedderburn (Bronx, N.Y.) notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Josh Germain (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) contributed 10 points and five assists.
The two teams traded baskets through the first 10 minutes of the game, with Newbury's Shamar Simms hitting a three-pointer to tie the game at 20-20 midway through the first half. Regis scored the next seven points to pull ahead, and then used an 8-3 scoring run in the final minutes of the opening half, punctuated by a layup from Wedderburn right before the buzzer, to extend its lead to 47-39 at halftime.
The start of the second half saw the two squads trading points for eight minutes, and then Newbury put together a 13-4 scoring run, led by Tim Deng with 10 points, to tie the game at 71-71. Seldon converted a traditional three-point play to put the Pride back on top, but the Nighthawks responded, as Pierce Weatherspoon hit two three-pointers to give Newbury an 81-78 advantage with five minutes remaining in regulation.
Two free throws by Afonja and a Seldon layup allowed Regis to retake the lead, but Deng quickly answered with a jumper to give Newbury an 83-82 lead. Seldon hit a three-pointer to give the Pride the lead for good with 1:16 left in the second half, and then Regis went 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the final minute to solidify its third consecutive victory.
Deng shot 13-of-18 from the field as he led everyone with 29 points and 14 rebounds, while Weatherspoon finished with 21 points, six rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocked shots. The Nighthawks lost despite shooting 53.0 percent (35-of-66) from the field, including 8-of-20 from behind the three-point line.
The Pride shot 47.9 percent (34-of-71) from the field, including 5-of-16 from behind the three-point line, and 84.6 percent (22-of-26) from the free throw line as they scored the third-most points in a single game in program history. Regis also committed a season-low 10 turnovers.
Regis (4-2) finally plays a game on a familiar court Thursday, Nov. 29, facing Wheaton College in the home opener for the Pride starting at 7 p.m.