No. 18 Men's Basketball Soars By Becker, 77-62
NO. 18 MEN'S BASKETBALL SOARS OVER BECKER, 77-62
Box scoreLEICESTER, MA, Jan. 10, 2009 - Senior forward Antoine Holder (Hartford, CT) and junior forward Javon Mathis (West Hartford, CT) netted 16 points apiece and No. 18 Elms College used a key run midway through the second half to pull away to a 77-62 win at Becker College in the inaugural New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) game for both teams.
The Blazers, ranked 18th in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, continued their best start in program history and improved to 11-1 overall, 1-0 NECC.
After winning five straight, Becker (6-4, 0-1 NECC) has now lost two straight.
Elms College led 55-46 with 10:24 remaining before going on a 20-9 run over the next six minutes to put the game away. Holder was clutch in the game-winning run, as he dropped in seven of his team-high 16 points, while Mathis, senior guard Aswad Thomas (Hartford, CT) and senior forward Ronald Thomas (Chicago, IL) added four points apiece during that stretch.
The Blazers' defense was also key, as Becker senior guard Travis Suber (Springfield, MA) - who entered the game as the NECC's third leading scorer (18.1 ppg) - was held scoreless for the first time in his collegiate career. Suber was limited to 0 for 3 shooting from the field and was 0 for 6 from the free throw line in 20 minutes.
Elms College converted 25 Becker turnovers into a decisive 28-15 scoring advantage.
Sophomore guard DJ Exum (New London, CT) led all scorers with 22 points on 6 of 8 shooting from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers and was also 8 of 9 from the free throw line for the Hawks in the losing effort.
Elms College returns to NECC play when it hosts Wheelock on Tuesday, January 13. Tip-off is 7:00 p.m.