WESTON, Mass. – Ryan Chambers (Abington, Mass.) netted a game-high 22 points to lead Regis College to a 68-51 win over Lesley University on Saturday afternoon in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) men's basketball action in Weston, Mass. The Pride have now won three-straight games to move to 6-10 overall and 5-3 in the NECC. Lesley falls to 2-12 and 0-6 in league games with the setback.
Chambers knocked down five triples and added two rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the win. Sam Jean-Gilles (Melrose, Mass.) joined him in double-digits with 11 points and eight rebounds, while Ethan Peana (Staten Island, N.Y.) had six points and a game-high nine rebounds. Osanto Marc Jr. (Kissimmee, Fla.) posted eight points and had a game-high six assists.
Lesley was paced by 19 points from Mike Kaufman (Boca Raton, Fla.) as the senior knocked down four three-pointers in the game. Trevonn Lewis (Chicago, Ill.) chipped in 10 points, and Justin Rosa (East Brunswick, N.J.) had six points, five assists, and a game-high four steals.
Both offenses struggled early on until a Chambers three at the 9:30 mark of the opening half made it a 14-10 game. A Peana layup nearly three minutes later put the Pride on top 16-10, but back-to-back buckets from Trevonn Lewis and Branden Padgett (New Baltimore, Mich.) cut the deficit to 16-14 with 5:32 remaining.
A Kris Bennett (Inglewood, Calif.) freethrow with 2:09 to play in the half made it a one point game and Chambers answered with a pair of freebies on the other end to put Regis back on top by three. After another Lesley freethrow, Ahmad Charles (Cambridge, Mass.) sunk a fast-break layup to give the Pride a four point cushion with less than 30 seconds to play. With time running down in the half, Justin Rosa buried a jumper from 19 feet with two seconds remaining on the clock to leave the Lynx only down by two, 24-22, headed into the break.
In the second half, Lesley trailed by four at 31-27 following a three-ball from Kaufman on a feed from Rosa. Regis answered with a 21-6 run over the next seven minutes of action to take a commanding 52-33 lead with 9:40 to play in the game. Chambers scored nine points during the run, while Charles added four of his own.
The Lynx would get as close as 14 following a Trevonn Lewis three-ball later in the half, but the Pride lead never fell below that as Regis cruised to a 68-51 victory.
Lesley edged the Pride in rebounds, 34-33, but the Pride forced 21 Lynx turnovers and turned those into 18 points. Regis also dominated points in the paint, 34-18, and held an 18-6 advantage in fast break points. The Pride shot 49.1% from the field (26-of-53) and held Lesley to 33.3% shooting (17-of-51) on the night.
During the game, coaches of both staffs sported sneakers with their suits as a part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Weekend. All of the proceeds from ticket sales and donations will be donated to the American Cancer Society.
Regis returns to action on Tuesday night with an NECC matchup against Daniel Webster at 7:00 p.m. in Weston, Mass. Lesley will try and snap a six game skid when they travel to Mitchell College on Tuesday night as well.
Regis College and Lesley University coaching staffs supporting Coaches vs. Cancer