Springfield College Downs Men’s Basketball, 106-71

CHICOPEE, Mass. – Elms College sophomore guard Jerry Buchanon (Windsor, Conn.) netted a game-high 25 points but Springfield College used an 18-point, 11-rebound effort from Robbie Burke (Cheshire, Mass.) and the Pride hit 62.9-percent from the field and 66.7-percent from the three-point line to help stake a 106-71 victory in Thursday evening's non-conference men's basketball game at Picknelly Arena.

With the loss, Elms moves to 1-3 overall, while Springfield improves to 2-0 on the season.

In the opening period, Springfield shot 55.2-percent from the floor and canned 5 of 7 three pointers including one from Nick Sienkiewicz (Cranston, R.I.) and one from Sean Martin (Rindge, N.H.) late in the frame to help the Pride take a 47-32 lead at intermission.

Elms' junior forward Kenny Lockett (Atlanta, Ga.) led the Blazers in scoring in the first half with eight points and added four rebounds, while freshman forward Joshua Brunson (Springfield, Mass.) collected five boards off the bench.

Burke netted 10 points in the first stanza, while Tim Swenson (Millbury, Mass.) and Alex Garstka (Westfield, Mass.) finished with 11 points each.

In the second half, Buchanon scored the first nine points for Elms but Springfield matched his hot shooting as the Pride posted a 56-41 advantage with 16:35 to play in the contest.

With 8:24 remaining, Springfield's Nick McKenna (Danvers, Mass.) erupted for four three-pointers over a span of 2:27 despite a strike from beyond the arc from Buchanon and Blazers' sophomore guard Derek Murphy (Columbia, Md.) during the stretch which set the score at 94-63 in favor of the Pride.

Justin Tienhaara (Holden, Mass.) delivered a pair of layups with less than two minutes to play to cap the 106-71 win for the Pride.

Burke was 8 of 9 from the free throw line and led five Springfield players with double-digit point totals with 18, followed by McKenna who was a perfect 5 for 5 from three-point range and finished with 15 points. Gartska netted 12, while Swenson and Simon Kilday (Arlington, Va.) chipped in 11 and 10 points respectively.

Burke added a game-best 11 rebounds and Swenson pulled down nine. Martin helped direct the Pride's attack with six assists, while Swenson notched four blocks.

Murphy and Lockett each finished with 10 points behind Buchanon's 25, and freshman guard Conny Ihearahu (Largo, Md.) added eight points. Brunson collected a team-high six rebounds followed by five each from Lockett and senior forward Isaiah Odunlami (Providence, R.I.). Sophomore guard Anthony King (Bronx, N.Y.) drained a pair of three pointers and dished out three assists for the Blazers.

Elms is back in action on Tuesday, November 26 when it hosts Wesleyan University (Conn.) at 8:00 p.m. at Picknelly Arena.