WESTON, Mass. – Regis College received contributions from several sources, as six players scored eight or more points apiece to lead the Pride to an 87-79 victory over Lesley University Saturday afternoon in a non-conference men's collegiate basketball game at Higgins Court.
Joshua Perez (Lynn, Mass.) and Jalil Wilkerson (New Haven, Conn.) led the Pride with 17 points apiece, while Cameron Wilkins (Taunton, Mass.) finished with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Zakaria Latifi (Holliston, Mass.) hit four three-pointers as he finished with 15 points, Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) notched his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Justin Evelyn (Uniondale, N.Y.) added eight points to the winning effort.
The Pride jumped out to a 7-2 lead two minutes into the contest, but the Lynx quickly answered with a 12-2 scoring run, capped by a three-pointer from Gabe McCrary, to pull ahead, 17-11. Latifi hit three long distance shots as part of a 16-2 Regis scoring stretch, punctuated by a steal and dunk from Wilkins, as the Pride retook the lead at 27-19 midway through the first half.
Consecutive three-pointers by Evelyn and Perez extended the Regis advantage to 41-29, but Lesley cut that lead in half over the final four minutes before halftime. In the second half, the Pride kept the Lynx at arm's length until back-to-back layups by Scott Barlow and Marco Powells brought Lesley within four at 68-64. Regis put together an 8-2 scoring run to extend its lead back to 10 at 76-66 with just over four minutes left in the second half.
Two straight traditional three-point plays by McCrary closed the Lesley deficit back to four at 77-73 with 2:42 remaining in regulation, but layups by Perez and Rau late in the contest allowed the Pride to complete their third straight victory heading into the winter break.
McCrary shot 11-of-19 from the field as he led all players in the game with 27 points, plus he pulled down 10 rebounds for a double-double. Barlow finished with 17 points, and Powells contributed 14 points, six rebounds, and four steals.
As a team, the Lynx shot 46.2 percent (30-of-65) from the field and 66.7 percent (12-of-18) from the free throw line. Lesley won the rebounding battle, 41-36, but committed 24 turnovers leading to 23 Regis points.
The Pride shot 44.8 percent (30-of-67) from the field and 72 percent (18-of-25) from the free throw line. Regis dished out a season-high 20 assists, led by Rau with five assists and three other Pride players with four helpers apiece.
Regis College (4-4, 1-1 GNAC) plays only conference contests the rest of the season, starting with consecutive home games against Rivier Tuesday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m. and against Norwich Thursday, Jan. 6, at 5 p.m. Lesley (2-10) returns to action Monday, Jan. 10, against Maine-Presque Isle starting at 5 p.m.