French Scores 1,000-th Career Point as Men’s Basketball Downs Wheelock College, 102-70

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Elms College senior guard Andre French (Torrington, Conn.) tied for the team-high with 18 points and has now scored 1,001 points for his career as the Blazers posted a 102-70 victory over Wheelock College in Monday evening's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) men's basketball game played at Pine Manor College.

With the win, Elms improves to 15-8 overall, 13-1 in NECC play, while Wheelock moves to 3-19 on the season, 2-12 in NECC action.

French entered Monday's game needing 17 points to reach the 1,000-point milestone for his career and used four three-pointers against Wheelock to net 18. He now joins five other Blazers to reach the landmark. Juan Maldonado '10 is the program's all-time leading scorer with 1,686 points from 2006-10.

Elms shot 49.4-percent from the field and swished eight three-pointers, including three from freshman guard Jerry Buchanon (Windsor, Conn.) who finished with 14 points off the bench in the winning effort.

Three Blazers' starters reached double figures in points including French and sophomore forward Kenneth Lockett (Atlanta, Ga.) who each netted a team-best 18 points. Lockett was nearly perfect from the floor, hitting on 8 of 9 shots, while junior forward Isaiah Odunlami (Providence, R.I.) swished 7 of 9 from the field and totaled 15 points in the winning effort.

Wheelock's Bashir Hudson (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) was spectacular in defeat for the Wildcats, hitting on 15 of 24 from the field en route to a game-high 37 points. Sean Semerjian (Montreal, Quebec) added 13 points and Daniel Higgins (Wakefield, Mass.) chipped in 11 points.

Hudson pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, while Lockett grabbed nine to lead Elms on the glass.

After falling behind by three points (5-2) early following a Hudson swish from beyond the arc, Elms scored nine straight points to post an 11-5 lead and never looked back. The Blazers took a 21-point, 53-32 lead at intermission led by a 13-point effort from Odunlami and 10 points from Buchanon off the bench in the opening 20 minutes.

In the second half, Lockett continued Elms' hot shooting as he scored 10 of his 18 points in the second half, while French followed with nine points in the second period.

Hudson knocked down 17 of his 37 points in the second half and Semerjian scored 10 in the frame, but the Blazers' depth proved too much for the Wildcats as the Wheelock reserves were held scoreless in 32 total minutes of action.

Elms' senior forward Darius Griffin (Winter Haven, Fla.) chipped in eight points, sophomore guard Piere Simpson (East Hartford, Conn.) dished out four assists and French notched seven steals.

The Blazers are back in NECC action on Wednesday, February 13 at Daniel Webster College at 8:00 p.m.