WESTON, Mass. – Thanks to an inclusive offensive attack that featured five players scoring in double figures, Regis College earned its first victory of the season, defeating Curry College 94-82 Saturday afternoon in a non-conference men's collegiate basketball game at Higgins Court.
Devante Thompson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Justin Evelyn (Uniondale, N.Y.) tied for the team lead in scoring with 16 points apiece, while Marc Trinidad (Bronx, N.Y.) and Dimitri Rosa (Tiverton, R.I.) finished with 12 points each. Josh Germain (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) contributed 10 points, four rebounds, four assists, and four steals, and Cam Wilkins (Taunton, Mass.) added nine points and nine rebounds off the bench.
The lead went back and forth early in the first half until Regis put together a 9-2 scoring run to pull ahead, 15-9. Curry responded with a 12-3 scoring run, capped by a three-pointer from Cecil Villa, to retake the lead at 21-18. Down 27-24, the Pride scored the next nine points, featuring consecutive layups by Germain, to jump back on top at 33-27.
After a three-pointer by Evelyn gave Regis a 41-32 advantage, the Colonels scored nine unanswered points, punctuated by a three-pointer from Michael Ashley, to tie the game at 41-41. The Pride closed out the half with seven straight points, led by four points from Trinidad, to go into halftime with a 48-41 lead.
The Pride opened the second half with a three-pointer from Rosa and consecutive layups by Thompson to open a 55-41 lead two minutes into the half. Regis extended its lead to 70-48 eight minutes into the half thanks to a 13-2 scoring run, capped by another three-pointer from Evelyn. The Colonels made one final push, putting together a 12-1 scoring run, led by eight points from Ashley, to cut the Regis lead back into single digits.
Curry (3-3) closed to within six at 81-75 with 3:51 remaining in regulation on a three-pointer by Angelo Sardegna, but Regis put the game away thanks to back-to-back layups by Thompson and two free throws from Wilkins. The Pride went 7-for-8 from the free throw line in the final minute to prevent any further Colonel comeback.
Sardegna hit four three-pointers as he led the Colonels with 18 points, while Ashley made every shot he took, going 6-for-6 from the field, including one three-point attempt, and 3-for-3 from the free throw line to finish with 16 points and six rebounds. Jared Thorpe-Johnson collected 14 points and eight rebounds, Kieran Carroll contributed nine points, nine rebounds, and three steals, and Villa added eight points and eight rebounds off the bench.
As a team, Curry shot 41.9 percent (31-of-74) from the field, including 8-of-32 from behind the three-point line, and 66.7 percent (12-of-18) from the free throw line. The Colonels open their conference schedule Wednesday, Dec. 4, at Roger Williams University.
The Pride shot 47.1 percent (32-of-68) from the field, including 9-of-22 from behind the three-point line, and 75 percent (21-of-28) from the free throw line. Regis enjoyed a slight rebounding edge, 44-43, and scored 24 points off 18 Curry turnovers.
Regis (1-3) hosts Framingham State Tuesday, Nov. 26, beginning at 6 p.m. at Higgins Court. The Rams are still looking for their first victory of the season after losing to Eastern Nazarene Saturday afternoon.