WESTON, Mass. – With three lead changes and five ties, Regis College stayed close but was ultimately defeated by Anna Maria College, 79-74, Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball game at Higgins Court.
The Pride scored the first three points of the game, opening with a 3-0 lead before Anna Maria's Gabe Armstead made a jump shot from Ray Carter Jr.
Just after a pair of free throws from Russell Rau (Westminster, Mass.), Regis called for a timeout to recognize Rau on becoming the top leading scorer in Regis men's basketball history, surpassing a 10-year record from Ryan Chambers in 2014.
Regis extended its offensive output for the remainder of the first half leading, 36-33.
The Amcats scored the first basket in the second half with a three-pointer from Jayden Dickerson to tie at 36. Anna Maria held onto the lead until Regis rallied back at 57 points for a clean slate. Regis went on a 3-2 scoring run with a jump shot from Rau followed by a three-pointer to lead 64-62. Anna Maria would then go on to score seven unanswered points to clinch the lead and later finish with a 79-74 final.
Rau led the Pride with 30 points, 13 rebounds and four assists, while Jamir Harvey (Robbins, Ill.) contributed 17 points and five rebounds, while shooting 7-for-10 from the field.
Carter Jr. led the Amcats with 27 points, four rebounds, and seven assists while shooting 10-for-19 from the field. Armstead collected 17 points and three rebounds for the Amcats.
Regis (5-9, 0-3 GNAC) is set to travel to face Mitchell College on Saturday, Jan. 18 with a 3:00 p.m. start.
Anna Maria (5-9, 2-1 GNAC) is scheduled to host University of Saint Joseph on Wednesday, Jan. 15, with a 7:00 p.m. tipoff.