NEW LONDON, N.H. – After a close first half, Regis College pulled away in the second half to defeat Colby-Sawyer College, 68-54, Wednesday night in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball game at Coffin Field House.
Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) notched his 15th double-double of the season, leading the Pride with 21 points and 13 rebounds as he broke the Regis single-season rebounding record in the process. Zakaria Latifi (Holliston, Mass.) earned his first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, and Justin Evelyn (Uniondale, N.Y.) contributed 10 points and four assists.
Colby-Sawyer (9-16, 5-8 GNAC) struck first with a layup by Sadiq Abdullahi, and then the teams exchanged quick five-point runs. Regis put together an 8-2 scoring run, capped by a three-pointer from Gehrig Brynda (Deerfield, Mass.), and then the Pride scored four of the final five points of the first half on baskets by Cameron Wilkins (Taunton, Mass.) and Rau as Regis held the Chargers without a field goal for close to six minutes at the end of the half.
After the Chargers closed to within three points early in the second half, Regis put together an 11-4 scoring run, led by three-pointers from Latifi, Rau, and Gehrig, to bring its advantage into double figures at 41-31. Colby-Sawyer tried to stay close, including a layup by Cha'Mar Martin to cut its deficit to eight points at 51-43, but the Pride put the game away with nine unanswered points, featuring seven straight points from Rau.
Martin led the Chargers with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Mike Joanou also notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. However, Colby-Sawyer shot just 29.2 percent (19-for-65) from the field and 66.7 percent (14-for-21) from the free throw line, plus it committed 11 turnovers that led to 18 Regis points.
As a team, the Pride shot 38 percent (27-for-71) from the field, including 10 made three-pointers, and 50 percent (4-for-8) from the free throw line. Regis did win the rebounding battle, 50-45, and tied its season-low turnover total with 10.
Regis College (12-12, 7-6 GNAC) hosts Johnson and Wales in the regular season finale for both teams Saturday, Feb. 17, beginning at 3 p.m. The Senior Day presentation will take place prior to tip-off.