PAXTON, Mass. – Regis College withstood a second half rally by Anna Maria College as Justin Evelyn (Uniondale, N.Y.) hit the go-ahead basket with 17 seconds remaining in regulation and the Pride held on to defeat the AMCATS, 65-63, Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball game at the Fuller Center.
Shortly after Anna Maria opened the second half with a steal and dunk by Gabe Armstead, Regis rattled off 14 unanswered points, with Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) scoring half of those points. Anna Maria would battle back within two points at 50-48 on a layup by Armstead, but the Pride responded with baskets by Jamir Harvey (Robbins, Ill.) and Rau to help extend Regis' lead back to five points with 4:15 left in regulation.
Jakai Alexandre would score six straight points on a traditional three-point play and a long distance basket to put the home team on top, 58-57, before Rau and Armstead exchanged free throws to tie the game at 60-60 heading into the final minute. Anna Maria missed an opportunity to take the lead, and Cameron Wilkins (Taunton, Mass.) grabbed the rebound and eventually found Evelyn for the go-ahead three-pointer with 17 seconds remaining.
On the ensuing possession, Ray Carter Jr. was fouled, but made just one of the two free throw attempts before he fouled Rau with five seconds to go. Rau made both free throws to help close out the Pride's first conference victory of the season.
Rau notched his sixth double-double within the last seven games, leading the Pride with 23 points and 16 rebounds, tying his career high for boards and becoming the seventh player in program history with at least 500 career rebounds. Harvey also notched a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Evelyn hit three three-pointers to finish with nine points along with four assists.
Armstead shot 7-for-11 from the field as he led Anna Maria with 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Carter contributed 12 points as the AMCATS shot 36.7 percent (22-for-60) from the field and 65 percent (13-for-20) from the free throw line.
Anna Maria (5-9, 0-3 GNAC) scored the first eight points of the game and took its largest lead at 23-14 midway through the first half. Regis scored seven straight points and eventually pulled to within two points at halftime thanks to a traditional three-point play from Harvey.
Regis (5-8, 1-2 GNAC) plays its final regular season non-conference game of the year, traveling to face Fitchburg State Wednesday, Jan. 10, starting at 7 p.m.